Won't turning sea water into fresh drinking water solve our water problem?
Since there are ways to convert seawater into fresh drinking water, won't there always be an answer to our water problem? I understand the problems created by diminished direct access to fresh water and the impact it's having on human and wild life, but developed countries can always create fresh water reserve from seawater conversion. With time the power and cost needed to complete the process will come down too. So am I wrong to see glass half full? Don't most middle eastern countries already use this method to meet their water demand?
The problem is that the process is not at all efficient and can be incredibly expensive for things like bathing, crops, etc. Also, a shortage of fresh water affects ground water and things like lakes and streams - things that can't be supplemented with converted sea water.
A decrease in fresh water means that lush forests in the American midwest will be turned into deserts.
Will it is technically possible, that does not make it even remotely practical. The costs won't come down because they aren't related to maximum output potential. For example, if the cost to desalinate the water does decrease, there is still the costs of shipping the water, etc (which are dependent on things like oil, etc, and are constantly inflating).
Desalinated seawater is impractical for all our water needs - drinking, bathing, washing, farming, etc. Think of it this way, would you want to pay bottled water prices to take a shower? Most people wouldn't. It would also require a complete renovation of our infrastructure, because the average homeowner would not have the ability to store desalinated water - (no storage tanks, etc). Also, as the need goes up, the companies that desalinated the water, etc, would have the ability to increase the price, etc - so even if it was feasible there's no guarantee it would be cheap.
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