I will start this blog entry with a grandiose thesis statement.A thousand years from now (and I'm being very very optimistic here), future society on Earth will deem the beginning of The Industrial Revolution as also being "The Great Era of Lost Opportunity". Debates will be robust whether the structures of politicized insular dominions with wealth, prosperity and power were the key detriment that seeded larger hardships on other populations and negative physical changes to the environment. These large scale negative effects were overcome once these more prosperous minority sovereignties were dissolved.
WTF?????. Well, essentially, people will look back at this contemporary world with all its where-with-all and wonder why certain elemental problems weren't solved. Problems that created bigger problems later. And, much of the blame will be directed at governments and their policies. When conflicting governments become a thing of the past, it will be then that the "True Era of Enlightenment" will occur.
WTF?????. Well, I blame many of the world's problems today on governments and until just one equal and democratic governance or a collective of governments representing the entire world emerges, it will be then that human beings will truly flourish.
WTF?????. In the last week I've been thinking about the publicity surrounding Warren Buffet and Bill Gates. I've been thinking about their historic merger. But, I've also been thinking that what they've done and have pledged to do, realistically is just a drop-in-the-bucket to pave the path of significant change for the planet. Yes, seventy billion dollars is a pittance to effect change on easily conquerable world problems that could be solved by governments around the world.
What I believe is the most significant problem that can readily be eradicated with today's technology, is the scarcity of fresh water and adequate sewage in lesser countries around the world. This is truly the root of many other problems. It is the root of famine, disease and poverty. Some of the world's emerging maladies like HIV, Ebola and The West Nile Virus can be traced to areas that do not have abundant access to fresh water or good sewage for the clusters of people who live in these flashpoints. These areas are neither agriculturally or economically robust.
So what's the solution? Desalinization plants and water purification plants. Many, many of them. Enough to irrigate land and affect economies in a large scale. There are approximately 7,500 desalinization plants around the world. Seventy-five percent of them are in the middle-east. I believe that a 100 fold increase in the number of plants around the world is needed today. Africa, India, and many far-east countries would benefit immensely if this were to happen. Imagine huge areas of arid land becoming fertile growing regions. It is possible today. The first link below, you'll learn that the issue of water and sewage is one that is being tackled by this recent historic philanthropic merger.
http://www.sbpost.ie/post/pages/p/story.aspx-qqqt=NEWS%20FEATURES-qqqs=news-qqqid=15419-qqqx=1.asp
The second link, while it may serve as an investment tip, underscores the emerging importance of water for a growing population across the globe.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/topic/story.cfm?c_id=157&objectid=10388628
The second link is the one that alarms me. Eventually, water could become a negotiating tool by capable first world governments around the planet. Allowing water to become a great commodity would perpetuate the ills that humankind inflicts on itself while technology AND economics allows the world not to do so. Something as elemental as water could become an item fiercely dividing the haves and the have nots in the future.
Fresh water and sewage is not addressed enough around the globe, yet. Benevolent foundations and think tanks around the world appear to be the only voices pounding the drum regarding this at this time. This debate does not lead in any first world legislative hallways. If it is discussed, there is little proactivity about it and is only evaluated and droned about in the abstract.
Karl Marx deemed religion as being the opiate of the masses. He was way wrong. Fresh water is the opiate of the masses. Without sufficient amounts of it, civilization stands to experience catastrophic withdrawals by way of major violent conflicts or diseases that medicine or technology may not be able to cope with.
Oh yeah.....and if civilization is to survive a thousand years from now, humankind needs driving lessons!!!
Have a wet and wild Independence Day Holiday!
http://www.worldwater.org/chronology.html
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posted by JerryNJ @ 5:16 PM
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