Among the many disasters incurred by humanity in the coming years, the shortage of drinking water will undoubtedly be the most fatal to our species! Without water, it will only take a few days for us to disappear from the face of the planet. This is why it is absolutely essential to preserve the sources of drinking water. Or create new ones…
As the world’s population continues to grow, water needs are growing. Eventually, all countries in the world risk finding themselves faced with difficulties in accessing drinking water: global warming is rapidly drying up existing sources. This phenomenon due to human activity could also help humanity to provide itself with drinking water, according to a study carried out by the professor of civil and environmental engineering Praveen Kumar with the help of the University of Illinois, which was published in Nature Scientific Reports.
Adapt to global warming by producing more drinking water
His idea is to develop an offshore structure capable of exploiting the evaporation of the oceans which condenses into drinking water. Praveen Kumar’s hypothesis has been tested in 14 places around the world, apparently with success. The structure in question, which measures 210 meters wide and 100 meters high, would greatly help large population centers located in the subtropics.
Climate projections show that the fluxes of steam produced by the oceans will increase over time, which could provide even more drinking water, explains the study. An opportunity for the teacher’s idea, which ” provides a much-needed and effective approach to adapting to climate change ».
Other methods, such as desalination or recycling of wastewater have shown their limits due to the presence of brine and heavy metals in this water, which reduces the life of the installations and is expensive to maintain. The project described in the study promises an almost unlimited source of drinking water.