Complex human-nature interactions for long-term water supply and quality (Science Daily)

Read at :

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/08/120809141621.htm

Global Water Sustainability Flows Through Natural and Human Challenges

ScienceDaily (Aug. 9, 2012) — Water’s fate in China mirrors problems across the world: fouled, pushed far from its natural origins, squandered and exploited.

In this week’s Science magazine, Jianguo “Jack” Liu, director of Michigan State University’s Center for Systems Integration and Sustainability, and doctoral student Wu Yang look at lessons learned in China and management strategies that hold solutions for China — and across the world.

In their article “Water Sustainability for China and Beyond,” Liu and Yang outline China’s water crisis and recent leapfrog investment in water conservancy, and suggest addressing complex human-nature interactions for long-term water supply and quality.

China’s crisis is daunting, though not unique: Two-thirds of China’s 669 cities have water shortages, more than 40 percent of its rivers are severely polluted, 80 percent of its lakes suffer from eutrophication — an over abundance of nutrients — and about 300 million rural residents lack access to safe drinking water.

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About Willem Van Cotthem

Honorary Professor of Botany, University of Ghent (Belgium). Scientific Consultant for Desertification and Sustainable Development.
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