According to a 2006 UN report, 2 out of 3 people could be living under conditions of water stress by 2025. So what’s the solution? Australia, among other nations, is turning to desalination; but the existing desalination plants may not be sustainable due to the level of energy they consume. Also research by Gregory Asner of Stanford University in California, and colleagues, has revealed that up to 82 per cent of the world’s tropical forests could be damaged by the end of the century as a result of the effects of climate change and local destruction. Plus a study of 1200 girls in three US cities has shown that twice as many white girls have reached puberty at age 7 compared to a decade ago. Janine Young reports on behalf of New Scientist.
