With the gluttonous feast that is Thanksgiving now behind us, many have turned their thoughts to the December holidays. Few have considered next year’s Thanksgiving or the ones after that. The holiday could ultimately be stripped of its traditional bounty, however, if water scarcity and climate change continue unchecked.

Dwindling water supplies and ongoing climate shifts could bring about worldwide food shortages or dramatic increases in food prices. The latter is far more likely, but the result could be the same: An end to cheap, readily available food at a time of explosive growth in the world’s population.

The U.S. Drought Monitor has found that one third of the continental U.S. is suffering from abnormally dry, or drought conditions. Drought conditions are the most acute in the Western U.S., according to the report, produced jointly by the federal Department of Agriculture and the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration. The nation’s groundwater, which provides 50 percent of the water used for drinking, irrigation of crops, and industry, is diminishing .

“Basically the groundwater is being depleted of its resource,” said Kevin Dennehy, project coordinator for the U.S. Geological Survey’s groundwater program. “It’s been happening for quite some time and it’s going to continue to happen. The removal of water from the aquifer is at a greater rate than water is being re-charged in the aquifer naturally,” Dennehy said in a story published by CircleOfBlue.org.

Scientists and resource specialists have warned that freshwater scarcity is hurting farm productivity. Farmers may see their crop yields decrease because there is not enough water, or because conditions limit the amount of water a farmer is allowed to use.

Even amid diminishing water resources, paradoxically, flooding is on the rise.

“We know that that’s already a problem,” Melanie Fitzpatrick, a climate expert at the Union of Concerned Scientists, told Circleofblue.org, “Spring flooding is a problem in agriculture in terms of farmers getting into their fields to sow their crops, and we’ve seen some really significant flooding.”

Climate change, food production, and water scarcity are inextricably linked. At the United Nations’ World Summit on Food Security, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon declared, “There can be no food security without climate security.”

Even as climate change and water scarcity are making it difficult for farmers to increase yields, the world’s population is set to explode. The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that by 2050, the world population will reach over nine billion. Representatives of nations participating in the World Summit on Food Security have agreed that agricultural output must increase 70 percent by 2050. Yet, threats remain.

The U.N. Secretary-General told the summit gathering:

Weather is becoming more extreme and unpredictable. In many parts of the world, water supplies are declining, agricultural land is drying out. Food security and climate change are deeply interconnected. If the glaciers of the Himalaya melt, it would affect the livelihood and survival of 300 million people in India and China and up to one billion people throughout Asia. Africa’s small farmers, who depend primarily on rain to produce most of the continent’s food, could see harvests drop by 50 percent by 2020.

Now let’s get back to Thanksgiving. It’s my favorite holiday, and I am not prepared to have my future Thanksgivings jeopardized by solvable problems. If we’re not going to solve the water and climate problems because it is the right thing to do, we might as well consider solving them for reasons we care about – the turkey, ham, stuffing, cranberries, yams, potatoes, gravy, and various pies.

So don’t forget about the Thanksgivings of the future. One day, the thing we are most thankful for on Thanksgiving may be the food itself.

Photo credit: donkey in the drought stricken maize field by Ray Weil.

Do you like beer? If you enjoy a cold one from time to time, you should know that water scarcity is a potent threat to your future supply.  It takes nearly 20 gallons of water to produce a single pint of beer. Fortunately, many beer producers either already have a water conservation strategy, or are working on one.

MillerCoors (a partnership of the U.S. operations of SABMiller and MolsonCoors) launched a website that does the predictable by touting its water conservation efforts and the company’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives. But unlike many other online efforts, MillerCoors’ new site also was designed to draw consumers into the conservation movement. Great Beer Great Responsibility, allows visitors to “participate in three areas of focus–environmental sustainability, alcohol responsibility, and people and communities.”

“The new website gives us a unique opportunity to connect with consumers who enjoy our great beers, and would like to learn more about the responsibility behind those brands,” said Cornell Boggs, chief responsibility and ethics officer for MillerCoors, in the press release announcing the new site. “In addition, the site invites consumers to share in our action, by pledging to conserve water, plan ahead for a safe ride and contribute ideas that represent how big change starts with small steps.”

Of particular interest to us is the fact that MillerCoors is encouraging visitors to pledge to conserve water, and is tracking the water saved.

The average American uses more than 100 gallons of water each day.  Can you try to use less?  We hope so.  After all, water is the most important ingredient in beer, and at MillerCoors, we’re always trying to make more beer by using less water.  Please join us…. Together, we can make a difference.

It’s easy for visitors to pledge to save water by choosing from a list of easy things to do, such as:

• Turn off the water while brushing your teeth
• Turn off the hose between rinses  when washing your car
• Shorten showers by a minute or two
• Run the washing machine only when it’s full

Every American can adopt those small changes and others to conserve water. We are pleased MillerCoors is encouraging its consumers to take action, discuss water consumption, and share their personal conservation efforts. We all have a stake in ensuring that there is plenty of water for generations to come.

After all, if there is no water, there can be no beer.

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Without water there could be no human life on earth. That is a simple, clear fact that is indisputable. It is so important, nations are willing to relocate hundreds of thousands of people to divert water to a new location. But what would happen if the earth no longer had enough freshwater to support the population, or corporate interests controlled the water that was available? War. At least, that’s the theory behind the documentary Blue Gold: World Water Wars.

Filmmaker Sam Bozzo and his team present the idea that future wars will be fought over water resources, just as wars today are fought over oil, gold, or diamonds. Narrated by Malcolm McDonald, and based on a book by Maude Barlow and Tony Clarke, Blue Gold is a shocking, engaging film full of expert opinions, historical references, and the politics behind water resources. The movie, which won the audience choice award for environmental films at the 2008 Vancouver Film Festival, documents our mismanagement of water resources and the rise of corporate control over them worldwide. Given the importance of the subject, this film should be high on everyone’s Netflix queue.

Here are some water facts from the film:

• 97 percent of the world’s water is salt water. Three percent is fresh water–and much of that is polluted.
• We are pumping out 30 billion gallons of water a day and depleting the earth’s groundwater 15 times faster than it can be replenished through natural systems.
• Dr. Michel Kravcik believes the earth’s water systems could collapse in just 50 years.
• Florida has giant sinkholes from over-pumping groundwater.
• Manufacturing a car takes about 335,000 liters of water.
• In much of Africa, Coca-Cola’s Dasani brand water costs more than the company’s flagship cola.
• The Aral Sea, a giant lake in the former Soviet Union, has been mostly drained to irrigate cotton crops being grown in the desert.
• To get water to some Southern California homes, it must be transported via pipeline from 1,400 miles away. That’s more than half the width of the United States.
• The world’s largest water resources are located in Brazil, Canada, and Russia.
• Most U.S. cities get water from private companies.

As yet another example of the risks of water scarcity, China has begun to resettle 330,000 people so it can divert water from the Yangtze River to northern China. A canal is being constructed from the Danjiangkou reservoir in Bubei all the way to Beijing, according to the Xinhua news agency. Those living in central provinces such as Henan and Hebei are being relocated to make way for the canal.

The multi-billion-dollar project was originally envisioned as a three-line system of canals and pipes, moving water via eastern, middle, and western routes to the north. The canal from the Yangtze River is part of a central line in the system. The plans called for the middle and eastern routes to be completed by 2010. However, objections from environmentalists, difficulties resettling the population living in the construction zones, and the cost of treating badly polluted water have helped delay the project’s completion until 2014.

The China’s South-North Water Transfer Project document (PDF) shows that northern China has only 19 percent of the country’s water resources, yet accounts for 47 percent of the population, 64 percent of the cultivated land, and 45 percent of the country’s GDP. In order to sustain economic development and growth in the north, water resources must be diverted. When completed, the water diversion project is expected to push about 460 billion cubic feet of water through the central canal each year.

China has outlined the threat of the northern water crisis in the South-North Water transfer document. The report declares that the lack of water resources in the north:

• Is an obstacle to the enhancement of people’s living standards
• Causes further worsening of the ecological environment, and is associated with environmental problems like land sinking and seawater intrusion
• Restricts agricultural development and threatens food safety
• Threatens national economic development, and will hurt the national economy should the water crisis worsen

Supply infrastructure alone may not be enough to solve China’s water problems. A World Bank report indicated that water prices should be allowed to rise to reflect the scarcity as well as to promote conservation. Whatever steps China takes to resolve its water scarcity, one thing is clear–its economy and people cannot thrive without water resources.

photo credit: PeaMasher 2002

This is World Water Week in Stockholm, where the goal is to raise awareness around access to water as development and climate stress an already limited resource. As water scarcity continues to gain attention, so should the companies actively working to reduce their water footprint.

Kraft Foods is a recent example of a company making a big splash in the news for using less water. They have managed to reduce their water use by three billion gallons in the past three years, and have exceeded their water reduction goal two years early.  As Steve Yucknut, vice president of sustainability, says:

We’re changing behavior and getting results. Around the world, thousands of our employees are working on projects that help us reduce our environmental impact. We focus on manufacturing, since that’s where we use the most water for internal operations. And we pay particular attention to water-scarce areas, where the need is greatest.

Here is a company who appears to really understand the risks posed by water scarcity, and has taken steps to mitigate those risks. As we look at some of the programs Kraft has implemented, what is impressive is how effective small changes like fixing leaks, reusing water, rethinking cleaning processes, and developing closed loop systems have been in generating major reductions in water use. These changes have been so effective Kraft shrank its water use 21 percent since 2005.

Not only are they saving water, but improving inefficient machinery, infrastructure, and processes lead directly to cost savings. For example, in their Atlanta, Georgia bakery, employees reduced the amount of water used for cleaning specific equipment and also eliminated unnecessary re-cleaning of equipment. Thus increasing the number of line production hours.

We believe every company can and should review their water, source material, and energy needs. By ensuring that we conserve, even abundant resources, we create a more competitive business and a better planet. Is your business creating a sustainability program? We’d love to share ideas, technologies, and programs from organizations large and small.

For more about Kraft Food’s sustainability program, which includes details on how they’re making progress on reducing CO2, solid waste, and energy use, see their Better World website.