Water that is available, may not be potable without treatment. The entire worlds' land surface (even the middle of the deepest desert) has water underground. Much of that water is too difficult to access for single family usage or it is not potable. But if you are talking about supplying an LA or Riyadh there is money enough and technolo…
Water that is available, may not be potable without treatment. The entire worlds' land surface (even the middle of the deepest desert) has water underground. Much of that water is too difficult to access for single family usage or it is not potable. But if you are talking about supplying an LA or Riyadh there is money enough and technology enough to access and treat the water. Desalinization requires energy; older desal was heat based (triple effect evaporation - direct fossil fuel combustion) the newer stuff tends to be, at least in part, reverse osmosis based (electricity driven - indirect fossil fuel combustion). Throughout history there has always been the cry of "the water will run out" but the peoples of the earth have coped. This is of course something that happens slowly, usually over many generations in any one place. This results in the folks at the bottom of wealth pyramid being expended in the process. Because the overarching process is so slow and the water runout/climate crisis warning cries imply immediacy; it is almost universally perceived as "crying wolf".
Water that is available, may not be potable without treatment. The entire worlds' land surface (even the middle of the deepest desert) has water underground. Much of that water is too difficult to access for single family usage or it is not potable. But if you are talking about supplying an LA or Riyadh there is money enough and technology enough to access and treat the water. Desalinization requires energy; older desal was heat based (triple effect evaporation - direct fossil fuel combustion) the newer stuff tends to be, at least in part, reverse osmosis based (electricity driven - indirect fossil fuel combustion). Throughout history there has always been the cry of "the water will run out" but the peoples of the earth have coped. This is of course something that happens slowly, usually over many generations in any one place. This results in the folks at the bottom of wealth pyramid being expended in the process. Because the overarching process is so slow and the water runout/climate crisis warning cries imply immediacy; it is almost universally perceived as "crying wolf".