|
|
|
University of Chicago is Tackling Water Scarcity
In decades past, oil used to be the commodity that shaped geopolitics, and at times, ignited wars. In coming years, water will be the commodity with that kind of clout.
Water scarcity is no longer a problem buried in think tank monographs. It's a crisis that has begun to have palpable, disturbing implications for much of the globe. By 2030, nearly half of the world's population will be living in regions saddled with severe water stress, the UN projects. Over the last decade, the number of violent confrontations over water issues has risen fourfold, according to the Pacific Institute, a California-based think tank that studies global water scarcity.
The University of Chicago is tackling water scarcity because it believes it has a novel approach to the problem — relying on engineering at a molecular level to produce breakthroughs. The university opened its Institute of Molecular Engineering in 2011, and within a year talk began of putting water scarcity at the top of the institute's agenda.
|
|
Click for the full article
|
|
|
|
|