VOA标准英语2013--Expert Says Cooperation Can Resolve Global Water Scarcities

 

Expert Says Cooperation Can Resolve Global Water Scarcities¹

A barbed-wired fence divides farmlands in India and Pakistan, nuclear-armed neighbors with a history of violent conflict.

But the waters that feed them know no boundaries. The Indus River basin spans both countries. Both rely on these waters for irrigation, drinking water and hydroelectric power.

But most their water disputes have ended with handshakes, not violence, thanks to a 1960 treaty, says environmental security expert David Michel at the Stimson Center, a Washington research group.

"The Indus Water Treaty was developed and signed largely due to the parties’ recognition of the possible consequences of failing to come to some agreement on how to manage this river that crosses their borders," said Michel.

But managing river resources may get more difficult in the coming years. Both countries are growing rapidly, raising demand for food, water and energy. And there is no additional water in the river basin.

Michel says it’s not only happening in South Asia.

"We are increasingly bumping up against the limits of available renewable water supplies in many regions of the world," he said.

On Southeast Asia’s Mekong River, plans for 12 electricity-generating dams are raising concerns for those downstream who depend on the river for their fields and fisheries.

And rights to rivers and underground water are flashpoints in sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East.

Challenge of sharing resources

Sharing these resources will be a growing challenge as climate change shifts precipitation patterns, creating winners and losers. But that’s not all, Michel says.

"Climate change is not the only, and is not even the most important water pressure in the immediate² future. Population growth is really driving the water resources challenge for the coming couple of decades," he said.

Larger populations mean more demand, but also more pollution. Michel says even contaminated water may be in greater demand.

"Water scarcity³, water stress, will often drive people to use more polluted water sources. One very, very troubling consequence is the impact on public health," he said.

Waterborne diseases cost India alone more than 6 percent of its gross domestic product each year. And pollution flows downstream.

Although these pressures raise the threat of conflict over water, Michel says wars are not inevitable⁴.

"The pie to be divided grows substantially with more cooperation. And countries - even those that are often at odds⁵ - they recognize that," he said.

So Michel says he sees a future with fewer water wars and more handshakes. 

1 scarcities   

不足，缺乏( scarcity的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Japan has scarcities in most natural resources. 日本缺乏大部分的天然资源。
• A novelty of the test is to link collective decision with relative factor scarcities. 这一检验的新颖之处在于，它将集体决策与要素的相对稀缺性相联系。

2 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

3 scarcity   

n.缺乏，不足，萧条

参考例句：

• The scarcity of skilled workers is worrying the government.熟练工人的缺乏困扰着政府。
• The scarcity of fruit was caused by the drought.水果供不应求是由于干旱造成的。

4 inevitable   

adj.不可避免的，必然发生的

参考例句：

• Mary was wearing her inevitable large hat.玛丽戴着她总是戴的那顶大帽子。
• The defeat had inevitable consequences for British policy.战败对英国政策不可避免地产生了影响。

5 odds   

n.让步，机率，可能性，比率；胜败优劣之别

参考例句：

• The odds are 5 to 1 that she will win.她获胜的机会是五比一。
• Do you know the odds of winning the lottery once?你知道赢得一次彩票的几率多大吗？