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Access to potable water, not oil, to spark future global wars, Russian researcher says

Mikhail Kovalchuk emphasized that Russia possesses all resources it needs and that one of the country’s goals "is to be absolutely strong in order to safeguard its [resource] wealth"

SIRIUS /Federal Territory/, November 28. /TASS/. Future world wars may be sparked by competition for potable water instead of oil reserves, Mikhail Kovalchuk, president of Russia’s Kurchatov Institute National Research Center, said.

He pointed out that those countries possessing real resources would have the advantage. "The only option [for countries amid resource shortages] is to engage in a bloodbath for resources. <...> Globally, wars will break out because of shortages of drinking water. This will transpire much earlier than oil resources running out," Kovalchuk cautioned, addressing the Third Congress of Young Researchers.

The Kurchatov Institute head emphasized that Russia possesses all resources it needs and that one of the country’s goals "is to be absolutely strong in order to safeguard its [resource] wealth."

According to Kovalchuk, the development of nature-mimicking technologies could be an alternative to a global battle over resources. Such technologies are designed to produce materials and devices operating in a manner similar to processes in nature. In particular, these include bio-and nano-technologies.

The Third Congress of Young Researchers, organized by the Roscongress Foundation, the Russian Ministry of Science and Higher Education, and the Coordinating Council for Youth Affairs in the Fields of Science and Education under the Presidential Council for Science and Education, is taking place on November 28-30. TASS is the general information partner of the event.