One thing the world is also rapidly growing short on is potable water. This has me wandering why, with steam plants, nuclear plants, steam powered facilities like saw mills, we don't collect the steam from the top of the smoke stack and either reuse it in the system or bottle it as distilled water?
Also, with oil refineries burning off gases (flashing), could that be used to power generators of some sort, be it a combustion engine or to heat steam boilers?