On this weeks Turn on the Tap – Friday, SkyTrax Stainless Steel bottles moves away from the particulars of the bottled water issue and focuses on the scarcity of the world’s fresh water as well as global warming melting the ice of the Arctic.  Although, this post is not directly related to the bottled water industry, the effects the conglomerates of the bottled water industry have on the world’s fresh water could be discussed for days.  There are 2 highly publicized issues featured on the CBC this week. http://www.cbc.ca/

1.  ICE FREE Arctic in 20 Years

• A team of Explorers have spent that last three months researching the state of the ice levels that are currently at risk in the Arctic.
• After months of research the scientist estimate that within the next 10 years a large majority of the ice will be gone and within 20 years we will have summers of NO ICE in the arctic
• We will start to see small islands drowned, and entire cities across the northern part of Alaska are having to relocate
• This could lead to flooding affecting nearly 1/4 of the World’s population
• Read more here or watch the news feature here

2.  Canadian Fresh Water at Risk

• With over 20% of the worlds fresh water, Canada’s 10 major rivers are all at risks
• From the McKenzie in the Northwest Territories, to the Fraser River and even the Ottawa river are all at risk
• The biggest threats include:

1. Climate Change
2. The Pursuit of Low Carbon Energy
3. As well as Growing Water Demand

• WWF Canada suggests that Canada needs to develop a long term plan regarding river flow which includes an examination of the effects of climate change
• As temperature rise, the demand for water is going to be higher than ever, to fix the problem the WWF says the government needs to stop thinking of rivers s lines on a map and develop a plan to take action immediately
• Read more here