Welcome to Peak Oil Panic!

Not content with conflict over religious difference, geographic boundaries, who hates Western Foreign policy more, it looks like the Middle East is going to throw another cause for war into the mix: water.

Potential Water Conflicts in the Middle East

Water will remain one of the most volatile issues in the Middle East
and the source of potentially serious conflicts. The oil rich countries
have resolved their water shortage through desalination. Israel is
moving in that direction as well. Countries with more restricted
financial resources such as Syria, Jordan, Morocco and Yemen are
constrained from going through the desalination path. Rapidly growing
population and a trend toward urbanization will heighten water
shortages and exacerbate potential political or military conflicts.

Water is the key to war or peace. Borders can be redrawn,
refugees resettled, trade barriers can be removed and agriculture
reformed and made more efficient. But water will still be required to
meet basic human needs. Population growth and a shift toward
urbanization will render these needs even greater in the future.

As much as I’d like to file this one under good news as it might distract some of the energies that are currently spent over fighting for engery, the net result is more conflict. More instability in the cradle of my oil supply  = one more checkmark for the  bad news column.