Fresh water supplies are unlikely to keep up with global demand by 2040, increasing political instability, hobbling economic growth and endangering world food markets, according to a US intelligence assessment released on March 22.
The report by the office of the Director of National Intelligence said that areas including South Asia, the Middle East and North Africa will face major challenges in coping with water problems that could hinder the ability to produce food and generate energy.
The report said that a “water war” was unlikely in the next 10 years, but that the risk of conflict would grow with global water demand likely to outstrip current sustainable supplies by 40 percent by 2030.
Photo: AFP
照片：法新社
“Beyond 10 years we did see the risk increasing,” a senior US intelligence official said. “It depends upon what individual states do and what actions are taken right now to work water management issues between states.”
The report said that water in shared basins would increasingly be used by states to pressure their neighbors. “The use of water as a weapon or to further terrorist objectives also will become more likely,” it said, noting that vulnerable water infrastructure was a tempting target.
(REUTERS)
根據三月二十二日公布的一份美國情報評估，至二○四○年時，淡水的供應不太可能跟上全球需求，因而增加政治不安定性、阻礙經濟成長，並危及全球糧食市場。
這份由國家情報首長辦公室發表的報告指出，包括南亞、中東與北非將在處理水資源問題上面臨重大挑戰，該問題恐阻礙糧食與能源的生產能力。
報告說，未來十年不太可能發生「水戰爭」，但至二○三○年時，全球水資源的需求恐超過當前可永續供應的百分之四十，因此衝突的危機將成長。
「超過十年後，我們真的預見這樣的危機增加，」一名美國高階情報官員說。「這端視個別國家要怎麼做，以及現在採取什麼行動，來處理各國之間水資源管理的議題。」
報告說，共同流域的水資源將越加被有關國家用來施壓其鄰國。報告指出，「將水資源用為武器或用來助長恐怖份子的目的，也將變得更有可能」，該報告注意到，脆弱的水資源基礎設施是吸引人的攻擊目標。
（路透／翻譯：魏國金）
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A: Apart from singers Cher, Mary J. Blige, Ozzy Osbourne and Peter Frampton, who else was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame? B: The other inductees were Kool and the Gang, Dave Matthews, Foreigner and A Tribe Called Quest. A: All four of those bands are awesome. B: Also, Dionne Warwick received an award for musical excellence. A: Wow! Isn’t she the late pop diva Whitney Houston’s cousin? They both have the greatest voices. A: 除了雪兒、瑪麗J.、奧茲奧斯朋、彼得佛萊姆頓，還有誰入選「搖滾名人堂」？ B: 還有庫爾夥伴合唱團、大衛馬修樂團、外國人合唱團、探索一族。 A: 這4個樂團都很棒耶。 B: 狄昂華維克則榮獲「音樂卓越獎」！ A: 哇，她不是已故天后惠妮休斯頓的表姊嗎？兩姊妹都是美聲天后。 （By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times／台北時報張聖恩）
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