On AlterNet: desalination

Stories, blog posts, and videos tagged as "desalination"

Meet the Businesses Hoping to Cash in on California's Water Crisis

David Rosenfeld, DC Bureau. March 9, 2011.

A lack of water in California means big business for the desalination industry and their lobbyist.

Desalination: Panacea for Our Water Crisis or Dangerous Boondoggle?

David Rosenfeld, DC Bureau. March 4, 2011.

California is trying to solve its water crisis with a huge push for ocean desalination, but opponents claim its too expensive and dangerous for the environment.

Why Israel, Palestine and Jordan Are Rallying Around a Single Cause

Vince Beiser, Miller-McCune Magazine. August 27, 2010.

Unfortunately their extraordinary plan to revive the Dead Sea could ease tensions or it could create an environmental disaster.

Israel Builds New Desalination Plant, But Palestinians Are Still Denied an Adequate Water Supply

Jerrold Kessel, Pierre Klochendler, IPS News. June 3, 2010.

The issue of desalination dilutes one of the unresolved core issues of the conflict. For decades, Israel and its Arab neighbors have fought over water rights.

Will a Huge New Desalination Plant in Southern California Cure Water Woes, or Empty Taxpayers' Pockets?

Janet Wilson, DC Bureau. May 14, 2010.

Critics of the plant say it is a costly, unnecessary boondoggle that often malfunctions and carries damaging environmental side effects.

Poseidon's Financial Shell Game: Why Is a Private Desalination Plant Asking for Public Money?

Peter Gleick, Pacific Institute. November 19, 2009.

After years of claiming that they needed no public support to build this plant, this claim has finally been proven false.

Desalination Creates More Problems than Solutions in Tampa

Jorge Aguilar, Food & Water Watch. July 27, 2009.

Other cities considering desal would be wise to look at what happened in Tampa.

Singapore Becomes a Model for Water Technology and Reuse

Agence France PresseJuly 8, 2009.

Singapore now has the capability to generate much of its own water and is well vested in recycling used water.

Why Does California Keep Looking to More Techno-Fixes for Drought?

Robert Glennon, Huffington Post. May 18, 2009.

If the money needed for these hugely expensive proposals were used to fund conservation and reuse projects, the water shortage problem would be fixed.

Our Water Problems Are a Crisis of Management

Frank R. Rijsberman, Boston Review. January 21, 2009.

So, is the planet drying up? Not exactly, but a growing number of people are sharing a fixed amount of water that is badly managed and polluted.

Is Australia Making Its Drought Worse by Turning to Desalination Plants for Water?

Joseph Romm, Climate Progress. November 13, 2008.

Unfortunately it is a classic case of "climate feedback" as desal plants cause more emissions and ocean acidification.

Water-rich New England Building a Desalination Plant

Mark Clayton, Christian Science Monitor. June 2, 2008.

Despite controversy, the first big New England desalination plant is expected to go online in Massachusetts this month.

Will Desalination Take Off in California?

Jared Simpson, Waterblogged.Info AlterNet: Water. May 21, 2008.

A story actually covered by the local TV news station.

Will the World's Oceans Be Our Next Drinking Tap?

Scott Thill, AlterNet. January 15, 2008.

Desalination plants are popping up all over the world, but they may very well make the environmental crisis worse.