Brian_Kerhin's Blog

The polar ice caps are melting and the seas are rising. Meanwhile, millions around the planet have insufficient access to drinking water.

So why not take huge amounts of water from the rising oceans, remove the salt and make it drinkable?

A reader's curiosity about the future of desalination inspired one of three questions in this edition of "Ask AP," a weekly Q&A column where AP journalists respond to readers' questions about the news.

If you have your own news-related question that you'd like to see answered by an AP reporter or editor, send it to newsquestions@ap.org, with "Ask AP" in the subject line. And please include your full name and hometown so they can be published with your question.

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Recent dramatic decreases in the price of crude oil have resulted in somewhat corresponding decreases in the price of gasoline. How has the price change affected the price of jet fuel?

The airline industry was quick to raise fares, reduce flights, charge for baggage, etc., as the price of jet fuel soared to new highs. I don't recall any recent statements or actions by the airlines regarding jet fuel price decreases.

Gary Wagner
Morton, Ill.
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The price of jet fuel, like the price of other petroleum products, has dropped along with the price of oil.

While many airfares remain unchanged, some have fallen. On certain routes - Dallas to Paris, for example - carriers have cut roundtrip fuel surcharges. Delta Air Lines recently said it would eliminate some fees but also added a new fee to check luggage. Some foreign carriers announced fuel surcharge reductions as well.

Airlines that have not lowered fares or fees say oil prices are volatile and could surge again, so they will keep fares where they were before oil prices dropped. Though carriers may have to lower fares at some point, just to compete, if fewer people choose to fly because of the economic downturn.

Greg Stec
AP Airlines & Transportation Editor
New York

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Millions of people around the world do not have access to fresh drinking water. At the same time, the ocean levels are rising due to the melting of the ice caps. How advanced is the desalination process, how much is it being used and how likely is it to be the answer to the world's fresh water shortage in the future?

Philip Blackwelder
Myrtle Beach, S.C.
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Desalination alone cannot be the answer to the world's fresh water shortages. While the technology has advanced in recent years, desalination remains a costly process - not only to build the plant, but to produce the energy needed to operate it.

There are more than 1,000 desalination plants in the U.S., many in the Sunbelt. The Tampa Bay Seawater Desalination Plant produces about 25 million gallons a day of fresh drinking water - about 10 percent of the area's demand - and is the largest such plant in the country.

Desalination plants are also in use around the world, particularly in the Middle East.

Still, questions remain about the environmental impact of brine that must be disposed of once water is desalinated.

Seawater desalination plants are generally only an option for coastal communities, since the cost of shipping water far inland could outweigh the benefits. However, some desalination plants operate inland by tapping deep brackish aquifers.

Desalination can only be one component of addressing fresh water shortages, together with water conservation, reuse and stricter controls on development in areas prone to drought.

California, for instance, is pushing conservation as the cheapest alternative, looking to increase its supply of treated wastewater for irrigation and studying desalination, which the state hopes could eventually provide 20 percent of its fresh water.

Brian Skoloff
Associated Press Writer
West Palm Beach, Fla.
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In recent news stories, I've seen the term "evangelicals" used repeatedly. What exactly is meant by the term? In some published articles it has seemed that it does not apply to some denominations.

Paul Newell
Richardson, Texas
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The term "evangelical" is used to describe a set of beliefs, not necessarily what church people attend or how often they go to services.

While definitions vary, people are generally considered evangelical if they accept Jesus Christ as their personal savior, believe the Bible is true, consider Scripture their chief religious authority and feel a duty to bring others to Christ.

Some researchers say the term is less popular now, especially among younger Christians, because it has become identified with old-guard Christian right politics.

Rachel Zoll
AP Religion Writer
New York

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