In today’s NYTimes business section there is an article about a very unusual product and business decision made by America’s brand marketing giant, P&G. It seems that for several years they’ve had a product branded under their PUR water purification brand that is a powder that can purify water in the field. It has not been marketed in the US until now. Instead they attempted to sell it in third world countries. When it became obvious that it would not be profitable they did something incredibly unique and forward-thinking: They built a plant in Pakistan to make the product very cheaply. Then they distributed the packets for pennies. A local village market can sell them for a dime and make 5 cents. Each purifies 10 kilos of water. P&G formed a not for profit organization internally to help provide pure water for children globally. This was a big hit within the huge company.
Now they have arranged for US sales via a much smaller company called Reliance that sells into outdoor sports and survival markets including disaster recovery. This is where it gets interesting. They are not out to make a profit on US sales. All P&G proceeds from Reliance (an independent distributor) will be donated to the Children’s Safe Drinking Water program, a not for profit agency.
While there are questions about charging US disaster victims more for this than 3rd world countries, overall it is a great concept. I would hope the major Pharma companies who won’t design drugs for poor markets will take a look at this model. The fact is that climate change and its affects are global- we’re all in this together.
Kudos to Proctor and Gamble.

The Star in Toronto has a front page article about the dire water situation in America’s Southwest, the fastest growing region in the country. They predict a mass exodus to the water-rich areas of the Northeast as these new Southwesterners discover that, while they’ve built 300 golf courses and endless housing developments, they have been ignoring a basic fact: there is no water to support the huge population of this region.

The article is comprehensive and a must-read if you live in our area. Water is going to be the most valuable commodity on Earth, replacing petroleum products. Mass migrations have always followed water since the beginning of time. In spite of all our technology, we cannot make the Colorado river rise and water the entire Southwest (including Mexico which is being shortchanged drastically by our growth).

You think we have immigration issues now? Wait till people realize where the water is….

Tip of the the hat to Franke, our erstwhile Canadian correspondent! (that’s all the links you get this week!)

Add-on: New Scientist cites a study that amalgamates 92 computer simulations using 14 global circulation models and compares these with actual rainfall data from around the world to conclude that changes in water distribution are the major effect of climate change:

‘The findings are important, Zwiers says, because “as humans, our activities are much more constrained by limits of water than by temperature (italics mine). In places where agriculture is marginal, it will become more marginal in the future”.

From the article:
‘Seager’s own research has shown that, in addition to the trends shown by Zwiers’ team, there will also be a significant drying of areas in the northern subtropics, including the US southwest and the Mediterranean.’

In the last two days:

Climate changing Chesapeake Bay
French Alps Ski Resorts closes after 40 years
Indian Glaciers retreat- source of water for hundreds of millions
500 page study funded by energy industry sees 50% increase in energy use by 2032, calls for huge efficiency gains

The long term outlook for waterfront cities in the Northeast ain’t good- that’s the gist of this science story. Besides major flooding issues in Boston and Atlantic City, New York will see catastrophic floods every ten years.
Northeastern ski resorts are already completely reliant on snowmaking technology which has increased the minimum temperature required for making snow in response to average temperature increases. Even an incremental increase in average temps can mean a lot less snow since the majority of natural snowfall occurs just below freezing because humidity is typically higher than at lower temperatures. This is not the case in western resorts where altitude is a major factor.
Europe is becoming the largest buyer of snowmaking equipment as snowfall zones move up the mountains, often stranding lower altitude lifts in the process.
The article notes that an increase in fuel efficiency requirements to 35 MPG would save US consumers $65 billion annually while significantly reducing carbon emissions.

BTW, Washington, DC is probably the city in the worst position should a major storm hit. It lies near sea level in what was an estuary of the Chesapeake. Last year the Mall was flooded. This will happen more frequently, hopefully reminding the politicians that this global warming stuff is real.