Desalination: An Ocean of Problems

Full Report - As local, state and federal governments in the United States increasingly fear drought and water shortages, private corporations are marketing ocean desalination as the solution. They promise that reverse osmosis technology can turn the ocean into a reliable source of drinking water by removing the salt from seawater. While they offer their product for two to four times the cost of other water sources, they fail to advertise the toxic chemicals, marine life damage, carbon emissions and other social and environmental ills that come along with it.