Probably the strongest argument that sidd, bligh8, & Terry have against the feasibility of wrangling Antarctic icebergs is that the economics don't currently work (compared to desalination) without government subsidies and currently no government is going to subsidize such an effort (now or in fifteen years). This is a strong argument as people will heavily discount the trillions of dollars of future losses to about zero motivation in today's dollars. Thus if this concept is going to have any prospect of being realized, then it would seem that I will need to dabble in the economically uncertain market for freshwater from such icebergs circa 2030 (note that iceberg B-31 contained about 16 cubic kilometers of fresh water when it calved).
In this regard, while the linked article focuses on the water needs of Central Asia starting by mid-2030, comparable statements could be made for large parts of the world in that timeframe. Furthermore, circa mid-2030 fossil fuel should include carbon pricing thus increasing the cost of desalination; which could represent a window of opportunity for Antarctic icebergs to penetrate the water supply markets in at least: Africa, South Asia, Australia and South America. In future posts I will endeavor to discuss means to improve the economics of freshwater supply from Antarctic icebergs after 2030:
http://www.azernews.az/analysis/87483.htmlExtract: "Around the world, 748 million people lack access to a clean drinking water source, while billions more lack drinking water that barely meet safety standards, according to a UN report released in 2015.
The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) forecasts that more than 4 billion people will be living under serious water shortages by the mid-2030.
With its limited water resources, the Central Asia states may also face sharp decreases in water supply in about 35 years as a result of global warming and drought.
The water resources will decrease after 2050 in some regions of Central Asia, estimates professor Martin Hoelzle of the Alpine Cryosphere and Geomorphology Research Group at the University of Fribourg (Switzerland).
Glaciers high up in the mountains hold an enormous share of the overall drinking water sources of Central Asia. Up to 85 percent of Kyrgyz's water reserves, for example, come from glaciers. However, the fresh water reserves in Kyrgyzstan are significantly declining on an annual basis.
Kyrgyzstan’s main reserves of fresh water concentrate in its glaciers, which hold about 750 billion cubic kilometers of fresh water.
…
The total volume of water on the Earth is about 1.4 billion cubic kilometers, 2.5 percent of which is fresh water, totaling 35 million cubic kilometers.
As many as 75 percent of the world reserves of fresh water are contained in glaciers and icebergs.
Currently, more than 80 countries lack adequate water supply, and it is becoming urgent to many regions of the world due to demographic growth, global warming, and a range of other reasons.
Brazil leads with 19 percent of the world's fresh water reserves, while Russia contains 10 percent and Canada, Indonesia, China each hold 7 percent.
The replenishment of fresh water basically depends on evaporation from the surface of the oceans.
Over 500,000 cubic kilometers evaporates from the oceans annually, while more than 70,000 cubic kilometers evaporates from land sources."
See also:
http://www.livescience.com/51876-asia-glaciers-rapidly-shrinking.htmlhttp://www.businessinsider.com/r-business-as-usual-will-create-a-thirsty-planet-in-15-years-says-un-2015-3