To the Point
The Global Politics of Water
The world is embroiled in dozens of bloody conflicts over oil, ethnicity and religion. What will happen when there's a global shortage of water? The most vital substance for human survival is already in short supply. Are there water wars in our future?
By Warren Olney • • 1h 0m ListenSix years ago, scientists predicted that a third of the world would face water shortages by 2025. But it's already happened.Cholera may return to London. African migration could cause civil unrest in Europe.China’s economy could crash by 2015. That's the "bleak assessment" of 200 food, oil, chemical and water companies.Can technology overcome mismanagement and global warming?Will shortages lead to greater cooperation or major conflicts--even in the US? Plus, the FDA approves over-the-counter sales of the "morning-after" contraceptive pill, and the planet Pluto becomes a "dwarf."
In this episode
3 storiesPlan B Approved for Over-the-Counter Sales
After three years and three different commissioners, one of the Food and Drug Administration's most contentious issues finally has been resolved. Plan B , the so-called "morning-after" contraceptive pill, will be sold over the counter to women 18 and older. Gardiner Harris is public health reporter for the New York Times .
Read the story6 minThe Global Politics of Water
Two billion people already live with too little water, and water as a means of social control could be a fact of life in the next decade. Potential conflict over water is just as great in developed countries as it is in the world's poorest nations, and the US is by no means immune.
Read the story37 minPluto, Planet or Plan Not?
Since Pluto's discovery in 1930, there have been nine planets in the solar system, but a year ago, scientists at the California Institute of Technology said there were ten. An object they called Xena turned out to be bigger than Pluto and was also orbiting around the Sun.
Read the story10 min