Water Problems Call for Action from Obama

"The moment is an acute one as the world faces 'water bankruptcy' as threatening as today's financial meltdown. The World Economic Forum, known for its annual meeting of business elites in Davos, Switzerland, is reporting that 2.8 billion people already live in areas of high water stress, a figure that could rise to 3.9 billion–over half the globe's population–by 2030."

"'We are living in a water ‘bubble' as unsustainable and fragile as that which precipitated the collapse in world financial markets,' reports the Forum. It sees the world on the 'verge of bankruptcy' in water supply."

"From Georgia to California, American regions are also having to face grim water futures. By some projections, water scarcity could cut world harvests 30 percent by 2030–even as human numbers and appetites increase."

"The Bush administration, while committed to fighting HIV/AIDS, barely moved on the water issue. The Obama administration has yet to focus clearly on a program. The omnibus budget act Congress recently passed included $300 million for world water issues–as Blumenauer puts it, 'not huge in terms of need, but a quantum increase, setting the stage for more.'"