How 1,500 Nuclear-Powered Water Desalination Plants Could Save The World

[Marlin]

How 1,500 Nuclear-Powered Water Desalination Plants Could Save The World From Desertification


https://www.forbes.com/sites/jamesconca/2019/07/14/megadroughts-and-desalination-another-pressing-need-for-nuclear-power/#488782537fde

[TVA]

That is the dumbest thing I have heard this year

[scotoma]

"About 20% of the world's population has no access to safe drinking water." If this statement is true, then 20% of the population would be dead or dying. That's ~1.4 billion people. I don't think this statement is true or that the author is credible.

[Marlin]

"About 20% of the world's population has no access to safe drinking water." If this statement is true, then 20% of the population would be dead or dying. That's ~1.4 billion people. I don't think this statement is true or that the author is credible.

If they mean safe by our drinking water standards then not so much, there are still wells, streams and lakes. We would not consider water with Guinea worm larvae safe but it is the only water available to some in Africa who have to boil the water to kill it.

[Marlin]

If they mean safe by our drinking water standards then not so much, there are still wells, streams and lakes. We would not consider water with Guinea worm larvae safe but it is the only water available to some in Africa who have to boil the water to kill it.

Forgot: Just my 

[scotoma]

That 2 cents will go towards buying a filter that will remove the eggs and larva. Then there is boiling/sanitizing by other methods that are much cheaper than a nuclear desalinization plant. There is a lot of really crappy water - parasites, diseases, pollution (biological, chemical, heavy metals, etc), low pH, high pH, crocodiles, hippos, warlords, terrorists, dictators, etc. Nuclear desalinization will not save the world. By the way, where did you those 2 pennies?

[TVA]

Exactly

[Marlin]

That 2 cents will go towards buying a filter that will remove the eggs and larva. Then there is boiling/sanitizing by other methods that are much cheaper than a nuclear desalinization plant. There is a lot of really crappy water - parasites, diseases, pollution (biological, chemical, heavy metals, etc), low pH, high pH, crocodiles, hippos, warlords, terrorists, dictators, etc. Nuclear desalinization will not save the world. By the way, where did you those 2 pennies?

I was responding to your comment that 1.4 billion would be dying if there were no access to clean water. My response was in defense of the article and it's reference to lack of access to safe water in defense of the author. The small nuclear reactors they refer to could be used with little outside support in isolated areas, which the article states and is a reason countries like Canada pursue the SMRs. I used the parasite as an example of clean water standards but the article also refers to prevention of desertification one of the contributors to climate change so enough water to irrigate is also an issue. The two pennies come from reading for comprehension and ability to think beyond myopic intransigent trains of thought.

"That's just my opinion I could be wrong"  D.M.

[hamsamich]

unsafe drinking water doesn't usually kill people.  you usually just get parasites or have long term health effects that aren't easily connected to the water supply.  when a bigger problem comes up (like cholera), then people will switch supply since it is obvious then how bad that water is.  I guess there are levels of "unsafe".   what we are used to in the United States compared to what many people in poor countries deal with means terms like "unsafe water" r relative.