Environmental Problems, Their Causes, and Sustainability 1

gradually. Another way to reduce flooding is to preserveexisting wetlands and restore degraded wetlands totake advantage of the natural flood control providedby floodplains.We can also identify and manage flood-prone areas.Actions include prohibiting certain types of buildingsor activities in high-risk flood zones, and elevating orfloodproofing buildings that are allowed on floodplains.In addition, we can construct a floodway thatallows floodwater to flow through a community withminimal damage. These prevention, or precautionary,approaches are based on thousands of years of experiencethat can be summed up in one idea: Sooner or laterthe river (or ocean) always wins.On a personal level we can use the precautionaryapproach to think carefully about where we live. Many ofthe poor live in flood-prone areas because they havenowhere else to go. But most people can do some researchand choose not to live in areas subject to flooding.• Not depleting aquifersSolutionsSustainable Water Use• Preserving ecological healthof aquatic systems• Preserving water quality• Integrated watershed management• Agreements among regions and countriessharing surface water resources• Outside party mediation of waterdisputes between nations• Marketing of water rights• Raising water prices• Wasting less water15-9 A MORE SUSTAINABLE WATERFUTUREHow Can We Use Water More Sustainably?A Blue RevolutionWe can use water more sustainably by cutting waste,raising water prices, preserving forests on waterbasins, and slowing population growth.Sustainable water use is based on the commonsenseprinciple stated in an old Inca proverb: “The frog doesnot drink up the pond in which it lives.” Figure 15-26lists ways to implement this principle.Historically, our response to water scarcity hasbeen to expand the supply by building more dams,transporting water from one area to another, anddrilling more wells. These measures will continue tosome degree, but water resource experts project thatthe emphasis will begin shifting from increasing thewater supply to reducing the water demand by usingwater more efficiently and stabilizing population.The challenge in developing such a blue revolutionis to implement a mix of strategies. One involves usingtechnology to irrigate crops more efficiently and tosave water in industries and homes. A second approachuses economic and political decisions to removesubsidies that cause water to be underpricedand thus wasted while guaranteeing low prices forlow-income consumers, and adding subsidies that rewardreduced water waste.A third component is to switch to new waste productionand treatment systems that accept only nontoxicwastes, use less or no water to treat wastes, returnnutrients in plant and animal wastes to the soil,and mimic the ways that nature decomposes and recyclesorganic wastes.• Decreasing government subsidiesfor supplying water• Increasing government subsidiesfor reducing water waste• Slowing population growthFigure 15-26 Solutions: methods for achieving more sustainableuse of the earth’s water resources.A fourth strategy is to leave enough water inrivers to protect wildlife, ecological processes, and thenatural ecological services provided by rivers (Figure13-12, p. 269). We now control the flow rates of mostrivers. As a result, some analysts say that we have anethical and ecological responsibility to manage riversfor wildlife and restore those we have damaged. Ecologicalrestoration efforts show that when we restore ariver’s flow and reconnect it with its floodplain itswildlife and ecological health can return. One way todo this is to follow South Africa’s lead in legally establishinga freshwater reserve for all rivers designed tosustain their biodiversity and the valuable ecosystemservices they provide for other species and society.Each of us can help bring about this blue revolutionby using and wasting less water. We can also supportgovernment policies that result in more sustainableuse of the world’s water and better ways to treatour industrial and household wastes. Figure 15-27(p. 330) lists ways you can reduce your water use andwaste. Since virtually everything we use requires waterto produce, cutting down on unnecessary consumptionis a key to reducing water use and water pollution. Reducingmeat consumption is another way to lower wateruse and waste. The typical meat-intensive U.S. diethttp://biology.brookscole.com/miller14329