Big powers may wage war for our fresh water resources

Climate change consequences are already battering many countries in the world, although they were expected to come in the 2030s. In the United States  the Louisiana State continues its path toward recovery following Hurricane Ida’s disastrous touchdown. Some regions of southern Louisiana could see two to four inches of heavy rain, threatening neighbourhoods still picking up the pieces from one of the strongest hurricanes on record to hit the state. Ida killed at least 11 people in Louisiana and initially left almost a million without power as it dumped more than 13 inches of rain in some communities. According to local utility company Entergy, Ida damaged or destroyed more than 14,000 poles, 2,223 transformers and 155 transmission structures. Now, half a million customers remain without electricity more than a week later, according to PowerOutage.us.The region is also experiencing hot and humid conditions, with temperatures reaching 90.F. The humidity will make it feel more like 95.F to 100. F degrees, forcing a heat advisory for the city as residents lack the power to run their air conditioners.

Several regions are also without water and some have been placed under boil-water advisories, while other houses are suffering from structural damages. Power lines and trees across southern Louisiana were uprooted by the hurricane’s 172 mph winds. President Joe Biden visited Ida-damaged regions on September 3, linking Ida’s destruction to climate change and urging rebuilding efforts to take into account the growing impact of environmental disasters.

US history’s worst storm came as the United Nations on September 16 marks the International Day for the preservation of the ozone layer. For those who are not aware the ozone layer is a fragile shield of gas that protects the earth from the harmful portion of the rays of the sun, thus helping preserve life on the planet. In a statement the UN says the phase out of controlled uses of ozone depleting substances and the related reductions have not only helped protect the ozone layer for this and future generations, but have also contributed significantly to global efforts to address climate change; furthermore, it has protected human health and ecosystems by limiting the harmful ultraviolet radiation from reaching the earth.

The Montreal Protocol started life as a global agreement to protect the ozone layer, a job it has done well, making it one of the most successful environmental agreements to date. A united global effort to phase out ozone-depleting substances means that today, the hole in the ozone layer is healing, in turn protecting human health, economies and ecosystems. But, as this year’s World Ozone Day seeks to highlight, the Montreal Protocol does so much more – such as slowing climate change and helping to boost energy efficiency in the cooling sector, which contributes to food security.

In a message to mark the event the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has called on the world to take encouragement from how we have worked together to preserve the ozone layer and apply the same will to healing the planet and forging a brighter and more equitable future for all humanity.

According to the UN climate change is the defining issue of our time and we are at a defining moment. From shifting weather patterns that threaten food production, to rising sea levels that increase the risk of catastrophic flooding, the impacts of climate change are global in scope and unprecedented in scale. Without drastic action today, adapting to these impacts in the future will be more difficult and costly. On September 16, 2009, the Vienna Convention and the Montreal Protocol became the first treaties in the history of the United Nations to achieve universal ratification. The Parties to the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer reached agreement at their 28th Meeting of the Parties on October 15, 2016 in Kigali, Rwanda to phase-down hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs).

While governments undertake mega projects in the battle against climate change, what could we do as individuals?. For instance we need to save fresh water. As experts say the world may run short of fresh water by 2040 and powerful countries may go to war to take control of fresh water resources, just as the US invaded Iraq mainly for its big oil companies, to take control of that country’s enormous oil resources. The experts warn that if the temperature continues to rise and sea levels also do so, many islands including our neighbouring Maldives may disappear. 

There are 103 natural river basins in Sri Lanka, with a total length of about 4,500 km. The largest river is the Mahaweli which is 335km long and 10,448 km2. In addition, there are a significant number of reservoirs including ancient irrigation reservoirs and recently constructed multi-purpose reservoirs with a total area of 169,941 hectares. The Government needs to protect our freshwater resources from the big powers which may go to war to take control of fresh water resources.