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Water prices will rise as high as oil prices in a decade around the world and wars will break out due to water shortage, the Ministry of Strategy and Finance on Sunday quoted world experts as predicting in a report before the World Future Society and the UN Millennium Project in the U.S. in late July.
According to the report, 40 percent of the world population live near 250 waterways, and downstream countries have historically increased defense capabilities more than upstream nations because of their concerns about water supply.
The report says the possibility of such water wars is especially high on the River Jordan (Israel and Jordan), the Nile (Egypt, Sudan, Uganda and Ethiopia), the Tigris-Euphrates (Turkey, Iraq and Syria), or the Indus (Pakistan and India).
The report adds that European nations are building infrastructure for future cities by replacing obsolete urban facilities such as water mains and railways since there are worries about the possibility of massive incidents. "This will be a new business opportunity for our country's construction firms,¡± said an official with the Ministry of Strategy and Finance.
Meanwhile, the report also predicts many more people will seek vicarious satisfaction for their desires through online avatars on websites like virtual world "Second Life," which will be possible thanks to the development of technology. But the report also says that human physical, cultural and political identity will be blurred and various legal problems will arise as a result.
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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