Investing in the Future
Countries like Quatar have thousands of trucks shipping water in on a daily bases, as the country underground reserves of fresh water are exploited. This is unsustainable and produces much waste from truck emissions.
Quatar is currently investing in solutions for their water shortage. The country’s population has more than doubled over the past 10 years. The public imports 93% of its food supply, and they only get 3 inches of rain each year. Climate change is likely to make things more challenging.
In Quatar, much of the water used for farming and drinking is desalted water from the sea. To ensure water safety, the country is planning ahead by investing in initiatives such as The Sahara Forest Project, which aims to transform deserted sections of the desert, into lush forests.
Quatar hopes that the solutions they find can be shared with less developed countries that are facing similar challenges. The Sahara Forest Project focuses on using abundant resources in the region such as sea water, sunlight, sand, and CO2, to produce food water and energy, in an environmentally friendly way. Prototype designs have already been built and are functioning with success, helping plants such as cucumbers grow at surprisingly quick rates.
The Sahara Forest Project focuses on integrating technologies that have already been developed. The prototype is already allowing vegetation to grow near the facility, which will create an entire ecosystem in the surrounding areas, as moisture and organic matter spread through the soil.
This pilot site also helps reduce CO2 in the atmosphere. Bigger commercial facilities could be built around the world. There are questions on whether this can be brought up to a massive scale, but the trend is clear. It is obvious that we’ll continue to see impressive developments in the near future.
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Acknowledgments
