Geothermal energy is among potential “semi-global” natural energy resources, as it is only accessible and affordable in economic terms in hot and limited areas around the globe. It is also considered to be relatively user friendly, more energy-intensive in comparison to solar energy, has less threats in case of technical failure as compared to nuclear power, simple and more safe production-technology in terms of drift and above all more durable and lasing natural source. It is indeed a form of “fossil resource” as being a remainder from the Big Bang. However, unlike energy produced in stars such as in the sun (solar energy) through fusion-reactions, energy in planets such as the earth is being produced through decay processes of the primordial radio-activity. Actually, without the embedded sources of heat in the earth’s body, i.e. the energy emitted through the decay of natural radio-activity, e.g. the radio-active members of the U and Th series, and many other radio-active isotopes of other elements that can have half-lives much longer than the age of the universe itself, e.g. Te-128 of half-life of 2.2 exa millions (billion billion millions) of years.

The most interesting issue in energy production and use is that water in always involved in these processes with two main impacts what concerns WE-resources, i.e. Water and Energy.  For energy we are consuming more energy resources and thereby less we are gradually facing less access to energy resources and as a consequence increasing prices of energy production. As energy production, use and consumption create more waste and pollution as well as bring water to more open systems and interactions there is continuous and gradual degradation in water quality and thereby increasing threats to all life forms on the earth.

So, production and use of geothermal energy can be, also, associated with negative impacts on water resources, environment and bio-diversity.

Making a Difference through Geothermal Energy

An important aspect for appropriate implementation of Sustainable Technologies is Sustainable Management. The fundamental question is How Sustainable is Sustainable? And what are the most appropriate solutions for Achieving the Best Socio-economic Sustainability? Among strategic long-term and large-scale policies for the MENA region, where arid and semi-arid conditions prevail, is Water Management because of its impacts on all involved sectors (energy, industry, agriculture and environment) in this region, life quality and bio-diversity. Unfortunately, existing literature still lack appropriate long-term and large-scale sustainability solutions as being based on “Business as Usual” without consideration to other possible and yet feasible alternatives.

Seawater desalination constitutes an important source for water supply for all sector activities and the population in the bordering the Arabian Gulf, the Mediterranean Sea, and the Red Sea. Desalination has advantages and disadvantages that may depend on the region, location, technology, impact and amount of fresh water production. Apart from the energy requirements for desalination, there are also other negative impacts in terms of waste management, fish production and quality of marine life in general. However, these impacts can be mitigated or even eliminated, by solutions other than those currently available.

Desalination poredictions in MENA region

The earth’s surface went through enormous large-scale and long-term shaping and re-shaping evolution history that resulted in todays earth’s “face”. In the last million years these shaping and re-shaping processes of the earth’s surface were continuously fueled by dominant erosion processes of natural origin that carved land-areas, holes and trajectories for coastal, surface and groundwater systems, e.g. rivers, lakes, coastal deltas and shores, fjords, water-falls, forests, natural parks, caves and other major geological formations. However, modern man-made interferences are becoming increasingly important, primarily because of increasing activities and processes on the earth’s surface in particular urbanization, mining and global warming. Recent climate changes, for example, are imposing extreme daily and seasonal variations in atmospheric temperature, gradual warming of oceans, seas and surface water systems with feedback impacts on atmospheric, oceanographic and hydrospheric erosion processes. These processes are brought about by the action of more dynamic air and water masses on different scales ranging from micro, local, regional and global scales, e.g. dynamic changes in speed and velocity of wind and water waves, also heating, freezing and de-freezing cycles “expansion and contraction” and geothermal processes.

Erosion is the main source of nutrients supporting the formation of vegetation cover, animal and evolution of bio-diversity and the very origin of natural agricultural production through photo-synthesis and associated biogeochemical, geophysical and geochemical machinery of the functioning and metabolism of global eco-systems. However, modern pollution and waste because of industry, agriculture and household have severe negative impacts of all life forms on the earth’s surface.

Whether we agree or not on the causes of global warming, facts still remain about the increasing impacts of climate change not only on weather but, also, life quality on earth. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has enormous evidence on increasing average global temperatures; rising sea levels; changing global precipitation patterns, including increasing amounts and variability; and increasing mid-continental summer drought. The combined effects of weather changes may have significant impacts on wildlife, domestic animal, and human health and diseases. Expanding human populations is already causing intensive pressures on the limited water resources with feedback impacts on habitat destruction, and more risks for infectious diseases to cross from one species to another.

Click to access Climate_Change_and_Wildlife_Health.pdf

Water is the natural environment for the life quality of fish and hence water quality is of prime importance for fish production and the quality of fish as well. Even in aquatic eco-systems, one can simply say “what goes around comes around”. Understanding how to improve the conditions in fish farming in terms of production and quality have very much to do with understanding the functioning and metabolism in natural aquatic systems. There are key issues that are essential to be understood about water quality in aquatic systems (fresh, brackish and marine), in particular the physical (e.g. density, stratification and mixing as well as turbidity, mineral particulate, light transmission) and chemical (e.g. pH, solubility of gases such as oxygen, carbon di-oxide, ammonia, salt concentration, dissolved matter, organic and inorganic particulates) properties and characteristics in these waters at different temperatures. The physical and chemical conditions of water determine to large extent the water quality status, along with toxic anthropogenic compounds that originates from pollution and water from industrial, agricultural and household sources. The impacts of all these conditions, factors and properties on water quality, the response and feedback effects on fish in terms of production and quality are to large extent summarized in the following document, it can be used as a guide for fish farmers.

http://www.extension.purdue.edu/extmedia/AS/AS-503.html

It is an amazing journey to understand the evolution and existence of our cosmos, a universe formed from billions of galaxies and each one containing hundreds of billions of stars. It is a stunning fact, the enormous size of our universe and the multitude of stars and star-systems that can be found in our universe. The solar system with its only life on earth is just like a drop of water in world oceans.

Physics has contributed enormously to uncover and explain the fundamental forces governing our universe and all the matter composing it. The contribution of physics in astronomy was made possible through, when physics suddenly could say something about the fate of the universe. An amazing journey fueled by the scientific style of Albert Einstein in a dynamic community of elite researchers that had the ability to strip away all the complications and figure out the fundamental laws of physics in the world of complex unknown features.

Life on earth, and its origin, has been a puzzle and still. Classically humans believed that the essential “elements” upon which the constitution and fundamental powers of anything are based are: Earth, Air, Fire and Water. In the past the concept of Energy was unknown to humans though fire was very much needed for life. It is as early as in stone-ages where humans discovered how to make fire, it came by accident. People at that time both appreciated and hated fire, however from that time humans went on to explore the whole range of energy forms, including production and consumption. Full benefits of Water and Energy resources for life on earth required/requires the other two “elements”, i.e. earth and air. However, there are specific requirement for the properties and qualities of earth and air for the life to exist. Even for humans, the full benefits of energy and water were/are only possible through earth and air with given specifications and qualities.

Through science and technology the classical four “elements” were developed and expanded to an enormous amount and spectra of knowledge that allowed all possible application and inventions. The most common feature of modern educated and intelligent humans and stone-age illiterate humans is how to solve the dilemma of mastering energy and water in sustainable matter. The difference is illiterate and ancient humans discovered energy “fire” by an accident but intelligent and modern humans will, at some stage, consume all energy resources on earth to a level that makes further life on earth difficult.  Are we gradually moving to stone-ages?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ChxvN4WjxWg&feature=youtu.be

The rosy festival of continuous prosperity growth has recently been challenged by the theory of “Peak Oil”, which concludes that the amount fossil energy (oil, gas and coal) being extracted from the earth will shortly start an irreversible decline.  We will be increasingly dependent on other energy sources to power our civilization, if not to say our long-term survival.

Assessment of the global energy resources, consumption and trends in global energy-mix with consideration to increasing global population shows that energy per capita will decrease. This will have negative impacts on GDP “Gross Domestic Product” and probable escalation in the costs of raw material, e.g. fertilizer and the diesel fuel or electricity for water pumps that are essential for agriculture and production of food. We will be, therefor, moving fast not only towards energy poverty but also towards global economic recession, pushing many countries and population towards increasing poverty, e.g. shortage of water, food and housing.

http://www.paulchefurka.ca/WEAP2/WEAP2.html

Efficient heating and cooling technologies with little or no carbon dioxide within residential, commercial and public buildings can dramatically reduce the world energy consumption and thereby considerable saving can be achieved. This can generate positive feedback effects on energy prices, global warming and life quality. This will promote more sustainable developments worldwide.

However, strong policy and awareness actions on all levels, sectors and stakeholders are needed to bring coherent solutions in the fragmented building sectors. In this context, increased technology RD&D is necessary to bring about new and affordable solutions that are suitable for different climate zones along with the environmental, cultural, social and economic conditions during the life-cycle financial benefits.

http://www.renewableenergymagazine.com/article/new-report-sees-potential-for-dramatic-energy

Knowledge on the World Energy Resources “WER” is much more important to know as compared to the World Water Resources “WWR”. In both cases management policies in terms of quantity and quality are IMPERATIVE.

While knowledge about Climate Change is essential for implementation of sustainable long-term and long-term management policies of the Water Resources, there are relatively more aspects to be considered for the sustainable management of the Energy Resources. Humans cannot manipulate “WWR” or Global Water Resources “GWR” in terms of quantity. What we get, we will get, and we can do nothing about it. However, regarding the quality of GWR it is the responsibility of humans to keep track on quality at all levels and on different scales, i.e. in terms of location and occasion “spatio-temporal scales”. So, what regards “GWR” management policies, technology is primarily coupled to consumption priorities of sectors, stakeholders and users as well as waste and pollution issues with consideration to climatic issues.

Management of “WER” involves production, consumption, and waste and pollution issues taking in consideration sectors, stakeholders and users. But “WER” require global players for import-export of both raw material and processed energy as well and in both cases waste and pollution aspects are involved. The dynamic balance of fossil versus renewable energy resources are very much technology related. Even in this case, Climate Change is becoming an important factor regulating how the dynamic balance of fossil versus renewable energy should look like, i.e. on “spatio-tempral” scales.

http://www.worldenergy.org/data/resources/

Climate Change and the expected impacts of Global Warming on global water resources will have pronounced effects worldwide in the 21st century. To see any change some references must be used and in this case as explained here the 20th century will be used reference for comparison. Among key processes in the global water cycle that are undergoing dramatic changes in dynamics and rates are: evapotranspiration; soil moisture; surface water flow and ground water levels. Changes in the dynamics and rates of these  processes will have direct and indirect effects on the vegetation cover, forest, agriculture and farming as well as remarkable impacts on the global water supply with feedback effects on agriculture, industry and basic human need including drinking water .

http://www.earthonlinemedia.com/ebooks/tpe_3e/hydrosphere/future_geographies_water_resources.html

Mercury is among toxic pollutants with harmful effects on humans. Mercury in aquatic eco-systems originate from atmospheric pollution and ends up in aquatic systems where fish get exposed to different levels of mercury concentrations in water. Direct injections of pollutants, involving other types, can occur also from agriculture, industry and household. Here are simple facts on mercury pollution in aquatic systems.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRqAS4Eow-c&feature=youtu.be

In the next video we are demostrating how pollution gradually degraded the water quality in natural aquatic systems making then of less recreation and economic value.  Water quality monitoring, assessment and regulations are essential management instruments for protection and preservation of natural waters against all types of pollution. Protection of air and water qualities have feedback effetcs on health of humans and safety of the environment, they are also imperative for achieving sustainable socio-economic developments.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T53IeowjRCc&feature=youtu.be

The “Arab Spring”, as is the cases for “Global Warming”, are strong signals that “Globalization” is facing further difficulties with negative feed-back on stability. This might not be obvious in the short-term, especially if what is happing in the MENA region and other emerging ethnic-conflicts in Africa are ignored.

I came a cross an old whaling film (in two parts) aboard U.S. ship “The Viola” from 1916 describing the hard working condition during the early years of the growing industrialization. The ships used for whaling were built even earlier, i.e. around 1850 or so. The whaling work required too much work, labor and the tools and techniques used at that time were simple or even primitive as judged by current western standards. However, these were the conditions and what was available at that time. This in addition to too long fishing journeys for little outcome; this is how people worked hard for getting their food and income at that time. All modern industrial technologies, including film-industry and ICT-based machinery that replaced difficult, ineffective and time-consuming man-power were gained mostly after WW-II, i.e. the later part of 1900. However, human struggle to get enough, affordable and healthy food will never end as there are always new pressures, threats and challenges. Education and research are always needed for better conservation and management policies.

(Part 1) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iWA4HDFASAo&feature=youtu.be

(Part 2) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_qebW9vLzI&feature=youtu.be

The increasing consumption of, and competition on, natural resources, in particular Water-Energy resources “WE-resources” is introducing new long-term and large-scale impacts on the sustainability of natural eco-systems and quality of life with major feedbacks socio-economic developments. Without credible environmental, social impact assessments and early-warning instruments, environmental compliance systems, rehabilitation measures and solid management policies can not be established whenever necessary. Impacts of large-scale manipulations of major river systems, as in this case, have rather slowly and unpredicted impacts on the environment and ecosystems. In addition, there are different regional consequence on re-location of population, water hydrology, farming and forests. Since the industrial revolution, and because of the ongoing globalization, there had been an accelerating consumption of energy and water resources. Currently, there are major threats, in some critical regions, resulting from transformations in energy policies, global warming, pollution and waste from industrial sectors as well as increasing consumption of natural resources.

http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2013/aug/10/china-india-water-grab-dams-himalayas-danger

The Earth, our unique home is just an immense ball of rock with proper mix of essential components for life at the surface, in the atmosphere, in water bodies, within and beneath the crust. It went through dramatic history of 4.5 million years with extreme environments and catastrophic transformations that eventually resulted in diverse forms of life. We now exist on its surface after a long struggle over ruins of fire, ice, violent seas, poisonous fumes and dead mass-extinctions. We are the survivals but yet for sometime, how long no one knows.

For thousands of years humans had no idea of the true age of the earth and the origin of the world. It is just in the past two hundred years scientists have explored and un-earthed its secrets through remarkable discoveries that led to tell the incredible story “How the earth was made”. It was a simple Scottish farmer “James Hutton” that triggered the generation of the enormous knowledge about the evolution of the earth. He spent years of own research with horse-expeditions around Scotland, to understand how rocks were formed from layers of sediments. Hutton finally found proves that the earth was very much older than what the Christian Church had been telling for generations. The Archbishop in the 17th century had calculated that the age of the earth was 6000 years old and indeed it was made on October the 14th on the afternoon. Hutton’s discovery was a turning point. It is now the rocks, who are the gays knowing the truth about age and evolution of the earth.

The journey of our blue-green planet began in a world full of fire and media made up of the early solar system with temperature similar to the surface of the sun. The origin of enormous heat of the earth, and the large-scale and long-time slow cooling-processes of the earth, is radioactivity. Based on heat evolved from the primordial radioactivity in the earth, uranium, thorium and potassium, Kelvin estimated that the earth would take millions of years to cool down. However, radiometric dating gives the correct age of the earth, i.e. using uranium found throughout the rocks on the earth and decaying into another element, lead. By measuring the ratio between lead and uranium trapped in rocks the view changed from millions to billions of years.

The origin of water on the earth remains to be a mystery. As the planet cools the surface of rocks burns out into carbon dioxide and together with water vapor formed thick cloudy atmosphere and toxic hostile water that remained for half billion years along yet with volcanic activity, formation of basaltic and granite rocks, ocean and continents. With radioactive dating, the scientists for the first time have tools to know the age of rocks, arrange them in systematic order and re-write the history of the evolution of the earth. With the slowly declining radioactivity and thereby removal of heat at the earth’s surface the first radical change towards a watery world took place and the formation of oceans.

Life was first appearing in the ocean and became free to move to land for 400 million years ago. For 200 million years swamps developed and later transformed to coal. Also, dead marine organisms transformed to oil and gas. These are the origin of fossil fuel, coal, oil and gas which probably required at least tens of million of years for formation and transformation. The first mass-destruction was the death of dinosaurs about 65 million years ago with appearance of mammals some 50 million years ago. Two million years ago modern humans appeared in the east coast of Africa and spread out of Africa where the ice age restricted the spread of humans further to Europe. As the last glacial retreated 10 thousand years ago, many new living conditions were further developed, e.g. with the creation of huge depressions making up many freshwater lakes and river systems in the northern hemi-sphere.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RLMeA3M_PaU&feature=youtu.be

The keywords in all outstanding civilizations and democracies are knowledge and literacy. These are magic keywords for mitigating the risks for further increase in unemployment and hunger as natural consequences of the expansion of population, accelerating pressures on natural resources and the associated increase in consumption, waste and pollution. In no other era of human history, knowledge and literacy are becoming more and more inevitable, and even imperative, as instruments for any socio-economic developments. In particular, what regards sustainable management and use of natural resources by being our capital and reserve for a sustainable life. With the evolution of science and technology and the associated enormous transformation to knowledge-based societies, the only solution for erasing poverty is education in sustainable forms. It is education and research that have to be adapted to the society and not the contrary. Knowledge, through education and research, is an instrument and not a goal in itself. Throughout history, from ancient Egypt to modern civilizations, humans demonstrated how to use knowledge to turn the impossible to possible, i.e. through home-made inventions appropriate for there environments, people and for trade with other societies and cultures as well. In situations where humans were not always successful to manage conflicts, science and technology were/are being used for mass-destruction, control and abuse of natural resources.  Even without traditional schools, universities and research institutes, by our current standards and detailed management systems, ancient Egyptians succeeded to engage people to run and manage one of the very top civilizations in human history. What were possible thousands of years ago is still possible the only difference is how to shape knowledge to solve our needs, no more no less.

http://www.sgiquarterly.org/feature2003Jan-6.html?goback=%2Egmp_4399281#%21

Feed-Food-Fibre-Fuel from agriculture, forest and farming are all dependent on landuse and water resources. However in arid and semi-arid areas, unlike temperate regions, water scarcity can be a major problem and energy are frequently required to use underground water for agriculture and farming. In all cases, i.e. even when water is available, waste from agriculture, farming and associated household applications can result in degradation of water quality. Energy is, always, required for treating used water and because of this “food-energy-water” are usually treated as essential policy-components for achieving sustainable socio-economic developments in many countries around the world and whenever necessary. This requires long-term and large-scale coordination of inter-disciplinary and inter-sectorial solutions with involvement of all stakeholders both on vertical and horizontal levels. These policies and solutions require appropriate public awareness, capacity building and skilled expertise with the suitable monitoring and management infra-structures and assessment instruments. These combined actions will have long-term positive feedback on economy, affordability and accessibility of food. An example on the interplay between food, energy and water is given below.

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/energy/2012/04/120406-food-water-energy-nexus/#!