@Risk

Over the next few decades, US water resources are likely to be severely strained by the combined impacts of population growth, increases in power generation and climate change.

In fact, more than one in three of the 3,100+ counties in the US could face a “high” or “extreme” risk of water shortages by the middle of the 21st century, according to a new study in ACS’s Journal of Environmental Science & Technology.

The research also found that seven out of ten of the US counties could face “some” risk of shortages of fresh water for drinking, farming and other uses.

The study, Projecting Water Withdrawal and Supply for Future Decades in the U.S. under Climate Change Scenarios,  features a “water supply sustainability risk index” that includes water withdrawal, projected growth, susceptibility to drought, projected climate change and other factors in individual US counties for the year 2050. It also takes into account renewable water supply through precipitation using the most recent downscaled climate change projections and estimates future withdrawals for various human uses.

By using this water index, the research team was able to conclude that climate change could foster an “extreme” risk of water shortages that may develop in 412 counties in southern and southwestern states, as well as in southern Great Plains states. (more…)

Researchers at Dartmouth University have found potentially harmful levels of arsenic in several commercial food products, including infant formula, cereal/energy bars and high-energy foods used by endurance athletes.

What’s arsenic, which is known to be both toxic and potentially carcinogenic, doing in food products like infant formula and cereal bars?

As strange as it sounds, the common denominator here appears to be organic brown rice syrup.

As an article at the Dartmouth website points out, food manufacturers have recently begun using organic brown rice syrup as an alternative to high fructose corn syrup for sweetening food.

But, most rice produced in the US is grown in southern states where the soil was previously used for cotton farming, and so treated with pesticides containing arsenic.

Here are a few of the –rather alarming –results from the Dartmouth research: (more…)

Last week, the world population reached 7 billion. Almost concurrently, NRG Expert released new forecasts which show that, given the current rate of population growth, global electricity supply is not likely to keep pace with future energy needs.

According to the new study, the energy tipping point is only about 20 years from now. NRG Expert predicts that 2032 will be the pivotal year where global electricity demand is likely to surpass supply based on global generation.

Of course, population growth isn’t the only factor that impacts the sustainability of the world’s energy supply. As NRG Expert points out, depleted natural resources and the phasing out of nuclear power in developed and developing countries also play a role.

A new report from Capgemini seems to draw a similar conclusion. The 13^th edition of the European Energy Markets Observatory (EEMO) found that energy consumption growth in developing countries, the Fukushima accident and the slowing down of the needed investments made by utilities all will have negative consequences on the security of energy supply and greenhouse gas emissions in Europe. (more…)

As part of its continued efforts to help the Democratic Republic of Congo break the link between the minerals trade and armed groups, the US government will formally launch the Public-Private Alliance for Responsible Minerals Trade (PPA) next month in Washington, DC.

According to a fact sheet, the PPA aims to combine the financial and technical resources of governments, companies, trade associations, civil society, and the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) in support of three goals: (more…)

More than 100 global economies –including six G7 economies –have energy supplies that are at “extreme” or “high” risk in the short-term, according to a new analysis from Maplecroft.

The study, titled The Energy Security (short-term) Index, assesses immediate risks to the availability, affordability and continuity of energy supplies in 196 countries by evaluating energy imports, diversity of supplies, import security and energy costs.

Maplecroft rated three countries, Sierra Leone (1), Gambia (2) and Guinea Bissau (3), as “extreme risk” in the short-term index.

In addition, another 122 nations are rated “high risk” in the short-term index, including the G7 economies of: (more…)