When a powerful earthquake struck China's Sichuan Province last month, international humanitarian groups from around the world sprang into action. A May 24 Economist article, "China Helps Itself," reports not on these agencies' exploits, but on things that the Chinese people themselves are doing to help survivors.

"A fast-growing middle class with money to spare on travel and, as it now seems, on charity, did not wait for official encouragement to help out in Sichuan," The Economist reports. Taxis helped the injured to hospitals. Thousands of volunteers showed up to help in a variety of ways.

To me, this is a very encouraging development. In 2004, my wife, Karen, and I traveled to China with the late Mercy Corps Founder Ells Culver and several other supporters of the global relief-and-development agency. One of our objectives was to conduct seminars on the concept of philanthropy. Knowing that this concept was relatively new to many Chinese, who were just beginning to profit from their rapid economic growth, we wanted to provide examples of how sharing these benefits could have positive impacts for their country.

Although we did learn about philanthropic efforts by participants in our seminars, these examples were few. Which is why now I'm encouraged to hear of the multiple and substantial ways in which many in China have responded to this disaster.

Persistent water shortages are driving creative thinking about the water crisis. Luke Robinson (flickr)

Global warming is estimated to gradually force over 135 million people off their land, largely in the developing world. But around the world, countries including Spain and the United States are experiencing drastic water shortages as a result of climate change right now. This global scarcity is prompting new ways of managing water as supplies dwindle.

According to the New York Times,most of southeast Spain is transforming into desert, a change driven by both global warming and poorly planned development. As the area dries, Spanish farmers and developers have been forced to desperate fighting over water allotments. This comes as no surprise to Spanish ecologists, who as early as 1997 predicted a “water war”.

And it's not just Spain. “Water will be the environmental issue this year- the problem is urgent and immediate,” said Barbara Helferrich, from the European Union’s Environment Directorate. The UN Food and Agriculture Organization meets in Rome this week to discuss the global food crisis, which is caused partly by water shortages around the world, including southern Spain.

Even in the U.S., cities like Los Angeles are being driven to desperate measures by persistent water shortages. Current plans in Los Angeles to deal with one of the most severe shortages in decades include using thoroughly cleaned sewage to increase drinking water supplies. Other water-short U.S. cities are discussing similar programs.

So what's the best way to conserve water?

The Earth Policy Institute suggests "a block rate pricing system where a low level of consumption—that required to satisfy basic needs—is very cheap, while prices increase at higher levels of consumption."

In Osaka, Japan, for instance, users pay a set monthly fee that includes 10 cubic meters of water; beyond that prices increase in steps from 82¢ per cubic meter up to $3 or more for high-volume users.

This sort of pricing would go a long way in Spain — or Los Angeles — by making excessive water usage prohibitively expensive, saving the water for those who really need it.