Why can't we use the polar ice caps for water?

Question

There are 2 environmental problems today that, I feel could resolve each other.

1/The melting polar ice caps are raising the sea level, and contributing to the El Ninyo effect

2/The El Ninyo effect is causing droughts in many countries.

With apologies for the poor grammar above. But, why can't developed nations devise some way of transplanting the polar ice to their drought affected areas and use the melting ice as water for their dying farming areas? The ice HAS to be pure water, since salt water cannot freeze..

Yes, I understand that it would be very difficult, and very expensive, but how much more difficult and expensive will it not be when all the farmers walk off the land because they cannot afford to farm anymore, and nobody is growing food.

So that every household has to grow their own vegies in the backyard using the grey water run off from the shower, so that they can feed themselves.

Answer 1

The transportation bill.  The ice would make a fine source of water -- but getting it from where it is to where it is needed would cost more than it is worth.

Answer 2

True, it would be expensive to do and a very nearly impossible engineering feat to construct such a pipeline.  

Importantly, the project in itself would cost a lot of water and energy to make happen, the carbon dioxide generated would contribute to further global warming and the impacts upon local ecosystems from whichever pole you're talking about would be vast.

The reason it hasn't been done yet?  Because water is not YET as valuable as oil.  Do some reading about Alaska and oil exploration and recovery there and you'll discover that humans have no compunction whatsoever in taking what they want at any cost.

Depending on where your farmers are running out of water, there are often local ways to solve problems that rely on expertise and good management by both farmers and government.  When that is lacking, drawing freshwater from our poles is as impractical and as idiotic as drawing it from the recently discovered water on mars.

Answer 3

there is absolutly no water problem.the problem is the people that benifit by all this c**p.there is no profit in solving problems.only creating them.big money has the control to let the people think what they want them to think.the news media (by the way i gave up reading the papers years ago)then gose along.and supports it.dont forget they are in bussiness to report news.true or not dosnt matter.ocean water could be turned into drinking water.some islands have been doing it forever.but then again whos looking for a sollution.my advice. reelect no one.public office(remember they cant do it without them)was never intended to be a job that you retire from.vote them out.by the time the new guys figure out how to be corrupt.there term is over.in there opinion the people be damed.for an example.ted kennedy.need i say more.if you want the real news.spend some time at the local coffee shop.let every state take care of there own affairs.and let the feds. do there job. and that is to protect the general public.in case of a war or if we get attacked.did you notice how fast the media pushed that to the back page.twin towers.then out altogether.the best thing to do is to make sure of all things.not just what they want you to know.then you will find how corrupt they really are.what sence does it make to turn on the t.v.and 9 stations are reporting the same thing.go figure it.long answer im sorry.

Answer 4

Two reasons: Cost and envionmental concerns.

1. Currently we're trying to preserve the glaciers as long as possible. Your idea goes against every principal of ecology I know. Just because a resource is running out, doesn't mean you say "Hey, if it's gonna go anyways lets use it even more!" Rather, the idea is "Hey, if it's gonna run out, lets try to keep it as long as possible. Maybe if we reverse the cause, we can keep what we have left."

2. The cost of shipping, with higher oil prices, is much higher than a lost crop. You must remember two things: 1) The ice would melt. 2) Most countries afflicted by drought are landlocked and far from the poles. This means that even if you wanted to get the water from point A to point B you'd be spending spending money. For example, say you want to get from the Artic circle to Mozambique. First, you have to load the ice onto a freighter, remembering that ice has a higher volume than water. This means you'll have to heat it up - more energy, or depart with less than a full load. Second, you ship it to mozambique by boat. Third, you have to unload it, and load it onto trucks - more gas. Then finally you can can put it on the fields. The costs would be staggering.

So no, it's not practical.