Article Title: Facing the Freshwater Crisis
Author: Peter Rogers
Today more than a billion people, 1 out of 6 people, don't have access to safe freshwater.
According to the United Nations, the freshwater sources of more than half the countries on Earth will undergo either stress or shortages by 2025.
Three quarters of the earth’s population could face scarcities of freshwater by mid-century.
Water scarcity is expected to be common because of the rising world population; many people are getting richer, expanding demand; and global climate change which is reducing water supply in many regions.
Water sources are threatened by waste disposal, releases of industrial pollutants, and fertilizer runoff.
Each person on Earth needs a minimum of 1,000 cubic meters of water per year for drinking, hygiene and
growing food.
Where people live determines the amount of water they get each day; the distribution of global water resources varies widely.
It is harder to get enough water in underdeveloped and developing countries with large populations because demand is high and supply is low in those regions.
The availability of water does not completely depend on the location; the ability to pay also plays a role.
Demand for water varies by location. Water demand depends on population size, growth rate, and income level.
Raising the price of water higher could start the use of used water (gray water), encourage water agencies to build recycling systems, and convince people to improve maintenance of water-delivery systems, thus reducing water loss.
Conserving irrigation flows would conserve more freshwater.
The world is really in a freshwater crisis. More than 1 billion people, 1 out of 6, don't have access to safe freshwater. According to the United Nations, the freshwater sources of more than half the countries on Earth will undergo either stress or shortages by 2025. By 2050, three quarters of the Earth’s population could face scarcities of freshwater. Water scarcity is expected to increase because of the rising world population; many people are getting richer, expanding demand; and global climate change, which is reducing water supply in many regions. Reckless waste disposal, releases of industrial pollutants, and fertilizer runoff are contaminating water sources. However, not everyone gets a sufficient amount of water; where people live determines the amount of water they get each day because the distribution of global water resources varies widely. For example, it is harder to get enough water in underdeveloped and developing countries with large populations because demand is high and supply is low in those regions. Demand for water also varies by location. Water demand depends on population size, growth rate, and income level. In addition, the availability of water does not completely depend on the location; the ability to pay also plays a role.
I was always taught not to waste water because just like food, it is a limited resource and not everybody has clean water to drink and use. It bothers me that people take water for granted; like leaving the faucet on while brushing their teeth or watering their lawns in the middle of the day. Some ways to conserve water is to fix leaks. People usually wait until the water mains break before fixing them instead of detecting leaks early on so they can be fixed, reducing the loss of freshwater. Also since irrigation uses a lot of water, stopping leaks in the water-delivery system, planting drought-resistant crops that don't need a lot of water, and implementing a more efficient crop-watering system can help conserve irrigation water. Lack of access to water can lead to starvation, disease, political instability and military conflict so governments need to take action now to ensure that we have adequate water sources for the future. We can fix this water crisis if we start immediately and dedicate ourselves to solve this.
Author: Peter Rogers
Today more than a billion people, 1 out of 6 people, don't have access to safe freshwater.
According to the United Nations, the freshwater sources of more than half the countries on Earth will undergo either stress or shortages by 2025.
Three quarters of the earth’s population could face scarcities of freshwater by mid-century.
Water scarcity is expected to be common because of the rising world population; many people are getting richer, expanding demand; and global climate change which is reducing water supply in many regions.
Water sources are threatened by waste disposal, releases of industrial pollutants, and fertilizer runoff.
Each person on Earth needs a minimum of 1,000 cubic meters of water per year for drinking, hygiene and
growing food.
Where people live determines the amount of water they get each day; the distribution of global water resources varies widely.
It is harder to get enough water in underdeveloped and developing countries with large populations because demand is high and supply is low in those regions.
The availability of water does not completely depend on the location; the ability to pay also plays a role.
Demand for water varies by location. Water demand depends on population size, growth rate, and income level.
Raising the price of water higher could start the use of used water (gray water), encourage water agencies to build recycling systems, and convince people to improve maintenance of water-delivery systems, thus reducing water loss.
Conserving irrigation flows would conserve more freshwater.
The world is really in a freshwater crisis. More than 1 billion people, 1 out of 6, don't have access to safe freshwater. According to the United Nations, the freshwater sources of more than half the countries on Earth will undergo either stress or shortages by 2025. By 2050, three quarters of the Earth’s population could face scarcities of freshwater. Water scarcity is expected to increase because of the rising world population; many people are getting richer, expanding demand; and global climate change, which is reducing water supply in many regions. Reckless waste disposal, releases of industrial pollutants, and fertilizer runoff are contaminating water sources. However, not everyone gets a sufficient amount of water; where people live determines the amount of water they get each day because the distribution of global water resources varies widely. For example, it is harder to get enough water in underdeveloped and developing countries with large populations because demand is high and supply is low in those regions. Demand for water also varies by location. Water demand depends on population size, growth rate, and income level. In addition, the availability of water does not completely depend on the location; the ability to pay also plays a role.
I was always taught not to waste water because just like food, it is a limited resource and not everybody has clean water to drink and use. It bothers me that people take water for granted; like leaving the faucet on while brushing their teeth or watering their lawns in the middle of the day. Some ways to conserve water is to fix leaks. People usually wait until the water mains break before fixing them instead of detecting leaks early on so they can be fixed, reducing the loss of freshwater. Also since irrigation uses a lot of water, stopping leaks in the water-delivery system, planting drought-resistant crops that don't need a lot of water, and implementing a more efficient crop-watering system can help conserve irrigation water. Lack of access to water can lead to starvation, disease, political instability and military conflict so governments need to take action now to ensure that we have adequate water sources for the future. We can fix this water crisis if we start immediately and dedicate ourselves to solve this.