Desalination Plants have at least two major hurdles.
Evaporating water to separate it is energy intensive, so you need lots of cheap energy in order to do the work.
You're left with all this excess brine waste which is expensive to dispose of
Israel (3% of global capacity) and Saudi Arabia (fucking 50%) both have sizable desalination infrastructures per capita.
But the Saudis are absolutely wrecking their coastline with their excess brine (and burning a ton of fossil fuels to power the desalination process). As a consequence of the Saudi desalination efforts, sea water intakes in Saudi Arabia, Red Sea and Arabian Gulf, have the highest salinity in the world. The habitats in these regions have been ruined for generations.
The Israelis are, similarly but to a lesser degree, turning the east end of the Mediterranean into a wasteland.
In America, at least, this is going to become one more profit center for the ultra wealthy. Which means it won't keep everyone hydrated. It'll just drive cost-of-living through the roof and cause people to abandon the region in droves.
Desalination Plants have at least two major hurdles.
Evaporating water to separate it is energy intensive, so you need lots of cheap energy in order to do the work.
You're left with all this excess brine waste which is expensive to dispose of
Israel (3% of global capacity) and Saudi Arabia (fucking 50%) both have sizable desalination infrastructures per capita.
But the Saudis are absolutely wrecking their coastline with their excess brine (and burning a ton of fossil fuels to power the desalination process). As a consequence of the Saudi desalination efforts, sea water intakes in Saudi Arabia, Red Sea and Arabian Gulf, have the highest salinity in the world. The habitats in these regions have been ruined for generations.
The Israelis are, similarly but to a lesser degree, turning the east end of the Mediterranean into a wasteland.
It sucks that this might be one of the few ways a burning Earth could still keep everyone hydrated.
In America, at least, this is going to become one more profit center for the ultra wealthy. Which means it won't keep everyone hydrated. It'll just drive cost-of-living through the roof and cause people to abandon the region in droves.