Ground water being depleted at an accelerating rate. A new study from the Netherlands underscores the urgency of water as a global issue. Professor Marc Bierkens and a team at Utrecht University evaluated groundwater as a source and found that its depletion rate has more than doubled between 1960 and 2000, with aquifers losing almost 70 cubic miles of water per year.
For most aquifers, such an extraction rate far exceeds their ability to replenish. With total groundwater quantities being unknown, scientists are unable to say exactly when the global supply would be exhausted.
However, the matter could be critical in countries like the United States, where groundwater supplies 95% of the country’s needs resource. In the Midwest, for example, the 800-mile long Ogallala aquifer provides eight Midwestern states with drinking water and irrigates one-fifth of the nation’s farmlands.
Yet it is being drained at a rate that some experts say will cause it to run dry in as little as 25 years. Moreover, the researchers found that 70 to 80% of the water is being used by agriculture, with much of it consumed through the production of foods or other items.
According to the Stockholm International Water Institute, the most significant use of agricultural water is through meat production, with animal-based diets consuming vastly more than their vegetarian counterparts. Experts have also found meat consumption to be one of the major causes of global warming.
In an interview with Supreme Master Television, British Member of Parliament Mr. Virendra Sharma highlighted the need to adjust our diet to address climate change and improve public health.
Supreme Master TV: Meat production uses much more water than growing vegetables. Do you think lifestyle changes like eating less meat are important to saving energy and water?
Virendra Sharma – Member of Parliament, United Kingdom (M): For both points: Health first, that it is important as there’s scientific proof, all the health experts, all the specialists, all the campaigning bodies also indicate that it is true that veganism can help in reducing the health diseases. I do firmly believe in that and I support that. And I feel it that yes, eating less meat will help in reducing the carbon footprints, reducing use of water.
VOICE: We thank Professor Bierkens and colleagues at Utrecht University for highlighting the urgent depletion of precious ground water supplies, and Parliament Member Sharma for reaffirming the value of the plant-based diet for conserving resources as well as our own well-being. May we act swiftly and wisely to ensure a safe, plentiful future for humans and animals alike.
Virendra Sharma (M): Hi, I am Virendra Sharma, Member of Parliament for Ealing Southall, United Kingdom. You are watching Supreme Master Television. Be Veg, Go Green 2 Save the Planet!
Supreme Master Ching Hai has often explained why a meat-free diet is a priority today in protecting the Earth’s drinking water supplies, as in this October 2009 videoconference in Formosa (Taiwan).
Supreme Master Ching Hai: We tell people to do organic farming, how to conserve rainwater, ground water, and conserve land, planting trees to attract rain, etc. In the Alwar district of Rajasthan, India, one Indian village was able to guide the water enough that it brought back to life five flowing rivers - five flowing rivers – that had been dead before, been dried up before due to withdrawing too much water.
We could learn from them as well. But even these water losses pale in comparison to the incredible amount of water that is wasted for animal production. It takes approximately 4,664 liters of water to produce just one serving of beef, but an entire vegan meal can be produced with only 371 liters of water. The livestock sector is probably the world's biggest source of water pollution as well.
Water means everything to our existence. We must conserve the water; we must do everything we can. And the first step to begin is to be vegan.
http://news.discovery.com/earth/groundwater-aquifers-agriculture-irrigation.htmlhttp://www.treehugger.com/files/2010/09/groundwater-overuse-hitting-all-time-highs-future-supplies-hitting-lows.phphttp://www.wateronline.com/article.mvc/Groundwater-Depletion-Rate-Accelerating-0001?VNETCOOKIE=NO New book by Prince of Wales affirms commitment to the environment. Authored by His Royal Highness Prince Charles, the recently released “Harmony” highlights his unfailing dedication to the role of “Defender of Nature.” Throughout the volume, Prince Charles upholds the theme that true sustainability requires a fundamental shift of perception and widening of focus, so that, as he states, “…We understand, again, that we have a sacred duty of stewardship of the natural order of things.”
Beautifully embossed in gold on the jacket and filled with color photographs, the contents bring clarity and passion to understanding the urgent state of the environment as well as related themes such as architecture and spirituality.
In a television documentary that accompanies the book, Prince Charles states, “I can only, somehow, imagine that I find myself being born into this position for a purpose.” His Royal Highness has waived proceeds from the book with royalties going to his charitable foundation.
Our heartfelt congratulations, Your Royal Highness, on your new book. May your eloquent and caring expression bring inspiration to readers across the globe in adopting sustainable lifestyles that safeguard life on our planet.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/theroyalfamily/8047660/Prince-of-Wales-wants-to-be-defender-of-nature.htmlhttp://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/oct/05/prince-charles-book-harmonyhttp://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/apr/21/prince-charles-harmony-bookExtra NewsUS President Barack Obama announces support for efforts to develop clean energy technologies like wind and solar, which would also boost the economy by creating hundreds of thousands of jobs.
http://www.physorg.com/news205221114.htmlhttp://www.voanews.com/english/news/Obama-Promotes-Clean-Energy-Projects-104203289.htmlAn eco-city in the design stages outside Tianjin, China is among dozens the government is planning in collaboration with Singapore and other foreign investors to create advanced, green, ultra-sustainable urban regions for the quickly expanding nation.
http://www.france24.com/en/20101002-china-hopes-eco-city-will-prove-model-alternativeScientists in India studying the cat-like mammal known as the civet find to their surprise that this tree-dwelling animal is not carnivorous as previously believed, but in fact consumes 97% fruits and seeds.
http://news.mongabay.com/2010/0927-hance_tcs_civet.html
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