In Brief...The Looming World Water Crisis
Water shortages feared to be in the near future for vast areas of the Middle East, Europe and Africa
Experts on the world's water situation issued a warning last week that within fifty years two billion people will face a severe water shortage. Actually, if one uses UNDP figures for current water usage and availability, the situation may be even more serious. Using the cutoff point of 2,000 cubic meters per person per annum as indicating a severe shortage, most of Africa and most of Asia will be in dire straits in less than twenty years. Exceptions might be the Congo basin, a few regions along the coast of West Africa, Bangladesh, and some areas of Southeast Asia. Much of Europe as well as Latin America outside the Amazon basin are also included in this situation.
Some of the world's most populous nations are already facing looming shortages. In northern China and in much of India the water table is dropping 1 to 2 meters per year due to increasing use of wells. Most of the world's rivers have been tapped for irrigation, and much of the planet's irrigated land is under threat from salinization.
Experts on conflict tell us that many of the wars in the new century could be fought over the distribution of water from shared river basins. Some 260 rivers are shared by more that one state. Potential disputes over the sharing of water exist in over half of these.
The situation is probably most grave in the region which is often the focus of Bible Prophecies-the Middle East. War could easily break out over shared rivers in the Nile, Tigris-Euphrates, and Jordan valleys. Experts on the Middle East warn that any attempt by Turkey to cut off Euphrates or Tigris river waters to Syria or Iraq would provoke a major war. Both of these down river states are watching Turkey's Southeast Anatolia Project with increasing apprehension. Israel's mining of the groundwater under the West Bank is one of the key issues standing in the way of a final settlement between Israel and the Palestinians.
An Article from:
World News and Prophecy: March 1999
Course Content
John Ross Schroeder
John died on March 8, 2014, in Oxford, England, four days after suffering cardiac arrest while returning home from a press event in London. John was 77 and still going strong.
Some of John's work for The Good News appeared under his byline, but much didn't. He wrote more than a thousand articles over the years, but also wrote the Questions and Answers section of the magazine, compiled our Letters From Our Readers, and wrote many of the items in the Current Events and Trends section. He also contributed greatly to a number of our study guides and Bible Study Course lessons. His writing has touched the lives of literally millions of people over the years.
John traveled widely over the years as an accredited journalist, especially in Europe. His knowledge of European and Middle East history added a great deal to his articles on history and Bible prophecy.
In his later years he also pastored congregations in Northern Ireland and East Sussex, and that experience added another dimension to his writing. He and his wife Jan were an effective team in our British Isles office near their home.
John was a humble servant who dedicated his life to sharing the gospel—the good news—of Jesus Christ and the Kingdom of God to all the world, and his work was known to readers in nearly every country of the world.
Phil Schafer
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Darris McNeely
Darris McNeely works at the United Church of God home office in Cincinnati, Ohio. He and his wife, Debbie, have served in the ministry for more than 43 years. They have two sons, who are both married, and four grandchildren. Darris is the Associate Media Producer for the Church. He also is a resident faculty member at the Ambassador Bible Center teaching Acts, Fundamentals of Belief and World News and Prophecy. He enjoys hunting, travel and reading and spending time with his grandchildren.
David Palmer
Born in Saskatchewan Canada, David Palmer was first introduced to the radio broadcast of the World Tomorrow during his career in broadcasting, when the program was aired during his on air shift. In 1965 his radio career took him to Vancouver British Columbia, where he was eventually baptized, and began attending Sabbath services. He was ordained to the ministry in 1983. Now retired from broadcasting David currently pastors congregations in Vancouver, and Vancouver Island. He is also a member of the UCG-Canada National Council, and serves on the Canadian Ministerial Services Team, as well as the Canadian Media Team
