It’s far from an exact science, but if you want to get a sense of where the world is heading in terms of resource scarcity then you could do worse than considering the cost of a litre of oil versus a litre of water. These days a litre oil of crude is worth around 45 US cents (33p); a litre of bottled water in the UK will generally set you back around 65p. Oil has dropped around 100 per cent since its high in 2008 while water’s value has held firm, and even risen across the Middle East and Asia.
This is probably unsurprising. Right-thinking opinion now considers oil an anathema while water is drying up almost everywhere — and nowhere more so than Iran. According to Kaveh Madani, a scientist and former deputy environment minister, Iran is ‘water bankrupt’ after years of government mismanagement. The country is parched.
The situation is so bleak that the regime — for which mendacity is perennial policy — doesn’t even bother denying it.
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