Quantity and Quality, the pendulum is swinging

When considering the development of seawater desalination on an international scale, the matter seems clear in itself. Whenever the quantity of fresh water is insufficient to meet the demand, alternative sources are sought. Wherever seawater or brackish water has been available, desalination became an option, but only if it was also affordable for those in need of water. These often included industrial companies, tourism, and in the case of energy-rich countries, public utilities. It has always been about growth. This now appears to be approaching a tipping point. But what happened when these urgently needed new quantities couldn`t be found, or the financial means for the affected area couldn`t be provided? On-site, people had to make do with what was available. The progress of societies in these places stagnated, and growth shifted to other areas with corresponding water resources. Research into climatic developments over the past 10,000 years shows many examples of human settlements facing this situation. It could almost be argued that this is a natural process. Since the discovery of methods to extract or separate salt from water counter to the natural process of diffusion, humanity has had the option to intervene in this natural course of events. However, this comes with a sustained need for financial resources to construct and operate these facilities, which become considerably more expensive over the years of operation. Today, around 22,000 desalination plants are in operation worldwide, according to the Desalfacts database. The very large facilities in cities like Sydney, Dubai, Egypt, Algeria, Spain, London, the USA, and other countries are visible on a global scale. However, these large-scale plants, some producing up to 1 million cubic meters of drinking water per day, do not constitute the majority of the burden. It`s the small and very small facilities that provide local drinking water. Because the problem doesn`t lie in the desalination of water. The problem lies in the distribution of drinking water from these desalination plants. As the distance from the point of generation, the desalination plant, increases, so do the transportation costs. And these inevitably become a significant portion of the overall costs. This, in turn, promotes the centralization and concentration of human settlements, cities, and monopoly regions. This comes with all its advantages and disadvantages. Considering the complex presented here in recent weeks, the question arises whether humanity and its cultures can afford to sustain lives away from essential resources like water in the long term. Or is natural climate-induced migration a norm and thus inevitable? With new desalination methods, we can already see that we will significantly reduce the financial and operational effort, and that we will certainly provide assistance. But is the fundamental problem solvable in this way? This question must remain open here.