WATER, CANADA'S 21ST CENTURY 'GOLD' 

CANADA FACES WRENCHING CHANGES, ESPECIALLY IN THE WEST, AS TRA- DITIONAL FORMS OF LIVELIHOOD SUCH AS FORESTRY, MINING AND FISHING SUCCUMB TO TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCES AND GOODS PRODUCED MORE EFFICIENTLY ELSEWHERE.

AS ALL THIS IS OCCURRING, ONE OF THE LEAST UNDERSTOOD RESOURCES IS QUIETLY AND SLOWLY MOVING UP THE ECONOMIC TOTEM POLE AND HAS ADVANCED TO A POSITION THAT INDICATES A WELL-DEFINED TREND. IT IS NOT INCONCEIVABLE THAT, BY THE TIME THE 21ST CENTURY IS WELL UNDERWAY, THIS RESOURCE COULD FETCH A PRICE EQUAL TO THAT OF OIL TODAY.

I AM SPEAKING OF WATER. CANADA IS THE UNDISPUTED LEADER IN PRODUCTION OF WATER PER CAPITA. THE NEXT HIGHEST PRODUCING COUNTRY, PANAMA, HAS ABOUT 50 PERCENT OF CANADA'S TOTAL. THE REST OF THE WORLD IS FAR, FAR BEHIND. THINK WHAT THIS WILL MEAN IN A WATER-HUNGRY WORLD.

TODAY WE THINK OF ENERGY OR OIL AS DRIVING THE WORLD ECONOMY. BUT VIEWED FROM A FUTURISTIC PERSPECTIVE, WATER WILL BE THE MOST COVETED RESOURCE. IN SOME LOCATIONS ON THIS PLANET, THE LACK OF WATER IS ALREADY A DOMINANT FORCE.

THEORETICALLY, THERE IS AMPLE WATER FOR ALL. SOME REPORTS SUGGEST THERE IS ADEQUATE SUPPLY TO PROVIDE FOR A FUTURE CIVILIZATION FIVE TO TEN TIMES THE SIZE OF OUR PRESENT GLOBAL POPULATION. THE PROBLEM IS PURITY AND DISTRIBUTION.

NATURE'S SOLAR-POWERED WATER DISTILLATION PROCESS PRODUCES TRILLIONS OF GALLONS ANNUALLY, ALMOST 11 ZILLION (10,824,000,000,000, 000) TO BE EXACT.

DIMINISHING NATURAL WATER TABLES, BUILT UP OVER PAST EONS, ARE BEING DRASTICALLY LOWERED: DUE IN PART TO WASTEFUL AGRICULTURAL IRRIGATION AND BY BURGEONING POPULATIONS IN INDUSTRIAL AREAS, PARTICULARLY IN PARTS OF THE UNITED STATES DURING THE PAST 100 YEARS. AN EXPENSIVE PRICE WILL LIKELY HAVE TO BE PAID FOR THE PAST CAVALIER TREATMENT OF NATURE'S MOST PRECIOUS RESOURCE.

INDICATIONS ARE ALREADY CLEAR THAT THIS CAN'T GO ON. FOR EXAMPLE, AREAS IN TEXAS SUPPLIED BY THE ONCE HUGE OGALLALA AQUIFER HAVE BEEN REDUCED BY 24 PERCENT IN JUST THE PAST 12 YEARS! ANOTHER 35 YEARS AT THAT RATE AND TEXAS BECOMES A NONPRODUCTIVE AGRICULTURAL DESERT.

IN THE SOVIET UNION, A SIMILAR PHENOMENON IS TAKING PLACE. TWO IMPORTANT RIVERS, THE AMU DARYA AND THE SYR DARYA, ARE ALREADY DIVERTING ALMOST THEIR ENTIRE FLOW TO PRESENT IRRIGATION PROJECTS WITH LITTLE LEFT FOR FUTURE FARMING OR OTHER USES.

THE NORTH CHINA PLAIN TOO IS HEADING FOR DISASTER. IN THAT RICH CROP-PRODUCING AREA, WHICH SUPPLIES ONE-FOURTH OF THE COUNTRY'S CROPS, THE SUSTAINABLE SUPPLY IS BEING REDUCED BY 25 PERCENT ANNUALLY. THIS WORLD-WIDE DRAIN ON EASILY DISTRIBUTABLE WATER SUPPLIES SIMPLY CAN'T CONTINUE.

SOMEWHERE DOWN THE ROAD OF TIME, CANADA MAY PROFIT AND PROSPER -- ESPECIALLY THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST, WHERE TIDAL SHIPPING PROVIDES LESS COSTLY ROUTES TO NORTHERN HEMISPHERE WORLD MARKETS.

THINK ABOUT THIS. ARE YOU WILLING TO SPECULATE ON SUCH FUTURE OPPORTUNITIES? WOULD YOU CONSIDER INVESTING IN WATER?

WORLD WATER SUPPLIES IN THOUSANDS OF CUBIC METRES PER YEAR PER CAPITA

WATER-RICH COUNTRIES WATER-POOR COUNTRIES

CANADA 121.93 MALTA 0.07 PANAMA 66.06 LIBYA 0.19 NICARAGUA 53.48 BARBADOS 0.20 BRAZIL 38.28 OMAN 0.54 ECUADOR 33.48 KENYA 0.72 MALAYSIA 29.32 EGYPT 1.20 SWEDEN 22.11 BELGIUM 1.27 CAMEROON 21.41 SO. AFRICA 1.54 FINLAND 21.33 POLAND 1.57 U.S.S.R. 16.93 HAITI 1.67 INDONESIA 15.34 PERU 2.03 AUSTRIA 12.02 INDIA 2.43 U.S.A. 10.43 CHINA 2.52

SURVEY BY: FORKASIEWICZ & MARGAT KOREA BUSINESS WORLD

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