Water

• [New] The United States has warned China against the use of force in disputed waters as it reaffirmed its view that Beijing's assertive campaign in the South China Sea is illegal.
• [New] With the world population expected to grow to over 10 billion people by 2050, coupled with climate change, competition for water resources is rapidly increasing, having a particular impact on agriculture.
• [New] El Paso County Public Health says a lack of water in a restaurant is considered an imminent health hazard and requires closure of a facility until adequate water is supplied.
• [New] In October last year, US Dairy announced an initiative to achieve net neutrality and improve how it uses water by 2050.
• [New] The Philippines will either have to rely on imports of liquefied natural gas amidst risks and volatilities or strike a deal with China one way or another to ensure its energy security.
• [New] The high-tech facility will produce up to 3,000 tonnes of hybridized grouper, coral trout, and shrimp each year - with an efficiency, measured in fish per tonne of water, that is six times higher than established aquaculture operations in the Southeast Asian city-state.
• [New] Biden's environmental officials are expected to seek to replace many Trump-era regulations on emissions, fuel economy, clean water and other environmental issues, although some of them may be too difficult to reverse.
• [New] Russia is attempting to turn the Crimean water supply issue into a domestic policy divide in Ukraine, creating the illusion that Russia could make concessions in the Donbass if Ukraine restored the water supply.
• [New] Evaporation of water, a potent greenhouse gas, from the oceans' surface could accelerate temperature increase, potentially ending all life on Earth even sooner.
• [New] Water deficits will shrink, but intense deficits are forecast in New Mexico, Colorado, North Dakota, and Florida.
• [New] The Asia Pacific region is behind in achieving the sustainable use of the planet's shared resources, such as air, water, soil, and energy, by 2030.
• [New] Federal Waters Off Southern California and in the Gulf of Mexico Selected for Evaluation for the First Two AOAs: NOAA Fisheries announced federal waters off southern California and in the Gulf of Mexico as the first two regions to host Aquaculture Opportunity Areas.
• [New] For water desalination, one UK SMR and an associated desalination plant will be able to produce 500 million cubic metres of potable water per year.
• [New] In the Brazilian Amazon, Brancalion and other researchers have documented projects that have helped restore native plants, improve soil's ability to store carbon, and boost the quality of drinking water.
• [New] Europa is covered in a global ice sheet that cocoons an ocean of liquid water, providing an environment that might be habitable for life.
• [New] Soil degradation, carbon emissions and water shortages are some of the risks we are posing to the planet by habitually eating high quantities of meat.
• [New] A new law by China allowing its coast guard to use violent force on foreign ships in waters it claims including the South China Sea raises the risks of miscalculation and has evoked sharp reactions from some SE Asian countries and Japan.
• [New] If successful, China will become the second country, after the US, to land and operate a rover on the Martian surface.
• [New] A new law came into force in China permitting coast guards to launch pre-emptive strikes to deter threats posed by foreign vessels in disputed waters that are claimed by China.
• [New] The Mars rover, a solar-powered vehicle about the size of a golf cart, will collect data on underground water and look for evidence that the planet may have once harboured microscopic life.
• [New] The online meeting was held to finalise an agreement under which India will construct a dam in Kabul river basin to supply water to the Afghan capital city.
• Climate change and population growth mean that if we do not take action now, in around 25 years water demand will exceed availability in many areas.

Last updated: 21 February 2021