Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Water Scarcity and Water Pollution
Water scarcity and conservation report
Water scarcity and conservation report
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: Water Scarcity and Water Pollution
Water scarcity is a global concern. Water covers approximately 70 percent of the Earth’s surface; however, only 1 percent of the available water is sufficient for human consumption. The Earth’s limited water supply must be spread and shared for agricultural, domestic, commercial, industrial, and environmental needs. This means that managing the supply and how water is dispersed is critical to the continuance of our planet and life as we know it. The most crucial natural resource and its availability is a major issue facing the United States and all other countries around the world.
Water is vital to the survival of every living organism on the planet. The unusable water on the planet is either salt water found in the oceans, fresh water that is frozen in the polar ice caps, or it is too inaccessible for practical use by humans (thewaterproject.org). The demand for fresh water has steadily increased at a rate of twice the population growth in countries all over the world, while the supply has remained the same. . This means that humans are consuming far more water than the planet can provide.
Water scarcity is among one of the worst problems that is facing society today. A rising number of regions, all over the planet, are beginning and continually faced with a shortage of water. Water shortage can be linked to both a natural and a human-made phenomenon (www.un.org). Currently, there is enough fresh, consumable water on the planet to sustain seven billion people. However, the current rate at which it is distributed, wasted, and stored, there will be even less water left for future generations.
The Water Project has shown that independent researchers claim Lake Mead, which is currently supplying water to 22 million pe...
... middle of paper ...
...nd perseverance, water conservation is possible and achievable. The severity of the water shortage is not apparent in most regions of the country, or the globe. People are unaware of the true consequences of not protecting and conserving our natural resource.
Works Cited
"Freshwater Crisis." National Geographic. National Geographic, n.d. Web. 15 June 2014.
N.p., n.d. Web. 15 June 2014.
Snyder, Shannyn. "Water Scarcity - The U.S. Connection." N.p., n.d. Web. 19 June 2014.
"Water Scarcity: Tomorrow's Problem." University of Michigan. University of Michigan, n.d. Web. 17 June 2014.
"Water Supply in the U.S." EPA United States Environmental Protection Agency. EPA United States Environmental Protection Agency, n.d. Web. 15 June 2014.
Wyler, Grace. "All Around The US, Risks Of A Water Crisis Are Much Bigger Than People Realize." N.p., 22 May 2013. Web. 14 June 2014.
Fros, Douglas. "The Water Demand Revolution." Planning 79.7 (2013): 12-17. Academic Search Premier. Web. 2 Dec. 2013.
Water is the foundational basis of life on Earth. Ecosystems, society and humans are completely dependent on it, and as the world population continues to grow, there will be more mouths to feed, and those people will need water to continue their daily lives. However, shortages and poor management leads to the destruction of natural habitats and human suffering. Desertification of land in China is ever-increasing, turning green, lush land into desert. However, this is due mainly in part, because of human activity, and global warming (Wang, Yang, Dong, & Zhang, 2009). The United States could experience a crisis similarly to China’s, but for now they have averted such a catastrophe, because of heavy regulation of water. Though there are water shortages in many parts of the world, it is unwise to export water from the Great Lakes to those regions. Two major reasons why diverting the Great Lakes is a terrible idea, one: it allows for waters wars to start on the basis of who is allowed to access it and for commodification purposes. Two, diverting water on such large scales could have cataclysmic effects on the local residents as well as the environment.
Before reading this article, I never would have thought scarcity of water was becoming an issue. I have found that there are numerous ways the world can help
The Colorado River resides in North America at 1,450 miles long it spans from the Rocky Mountains of Colorado flowing southwest through six other states into Mexico. During the 19th century, settlement within this region was limited to merely accessing the Colorado River. Back then adjacent water was strictly used to support life. Today, with our advanced water treatment and transportation methods, water is known for its more loose sense of sustaining “life” and that is of an economic sense. Now, we utilize water for more than just drinking. We apply water to trigger industry, mass produce agriculture, generate power and even recreationally. With our new thirsts we encounter dizzying demands for water. As we use this water for economic gains we take increasing amounts from the river. The water that is returned is then of severely lower quality causing detrimental effects to biologic life. To complicate the problem at hand the Colorado River has experienced drought since 1999. Currently, according to The Bureau of Reclamation, most areas of the river are experiencing extreme drought conditions. The Colorado River is not only degrading, but also drying up due to climate change and poor water management, consequently modern human development is impeded and the environment permanently scarred, therefore to prevent further damage local and state authorities should plan to alter wasteful methods of water management.
In addition to these topics, people should understand where the water that is disappearing originates. The majority of states in the Southwest region rely on the Colorado River. It provides water to seven states and over 40 million people, but parts of the river have dried up to muddy trickles. “The most immediate cause is 14 years of drought unrivaled in 1,250 years” (Weaver). It is very apparent that climate change is a chief reason for the water shortages. Some other causes of this problem comes from low snowpack at the river’s origin, high summer temperatures due to climate change, depleted reservoirs, and over demand due to overpopulation. Other experts believe that pollution and illegal pumping add to the causes for depletion of the Colorado
In our generation of new technologies and high civilization it is hard to believe that our World is in Water crisis. This crisis is affecting not only low-developed parts of the world but also it affects high-developed countries, about one third of the humanity suffers from the scarcity of water (Molden 2010). One of the main causes of it is overpopulation. In increasing water demand water sources which we have now are not able to renew themselves. Another factor of water scarcity is not economized water consumption. Nowadays most of countries are beginning to realize that solving the problem of scarcity of water is very crucial. One of them is Mexico where water shortage is the national problem.
“97.5% of all water on Earth is salt water, leaving only 2.5% as fresh water” (Human Appropriation of the World's Fresh Water Supply). With only 2.5% of earth’s total water harmonious enough to use, we have to administrate it correctly. Iowa State University and the students are in the pursuit of discovering the best way’s to distribute the water in farming, improving quality of water, and the systems used to manage it. One of the representatives of the Iowa Water Center said, “We facilitate research related to water management and disseminate information to those in the water profession.”(Citation). This relates to everyone, because as humans we utilize water everyday. From a routinely shower, to our daily meal. In order to understand how
The amount of water has been shrinking steadily but with extreme increases in population growth and consumption rate, countries in dry areas specifically the Middle East will feel the colossal effects of a water shortage. Since 1950, the population of the Middle East has risen by 21% a...
Introduction on Water It covers 70% of our planet, makes up 75% of our body, it is necessary for survival and it is declining at a rapid rate (http://www.sscwd.org). It is water. Unfortunately, clean water is rare, almost 1 billion people in developing countries do not have access to water everyday. “Yet, we take it for granted, we waste it, and we even pay too much to drink it from little plastic bottles” (The Water Project). Use of earth’s natural resources should be seen as prosperity, although it is taken for granted, every aspect of daily life revolves around the environment, forcing water conservation to be necessary for future on this planet.
Gleick, Peter. "The U.S. Is Years Behind the Rest of the World on Water Issues" Alternet. N.p., 20 Aug. 2009. Web. 3 Nov. 2014.
“California Water Boards Fact Sheet.” California Water Boards. waterboards.ca.gov, 23 May 2013. Web. 25 Apr. 2014.
There is a problem looming over our future it is something we have been warned about in the past and the effect it will have on us and our children. The problem is the water we use. We humans use too much water and we also waste it which will cause us to have many water problems in the near future. Water is one of the most vital things we need for living and we waste it not even thinking twice about it. We the people are causing the fresh water to disappear and eventually it will cause a major drought that will affect millions of people.
Miller, Debra A. Will the World Run out of Fresh Water? Detroit: Greenhaven, 2007. Print.
Water is our main source of our life. We need it to live, drink, bathe,
Rogers, Peter. 2008. "Facing the Freshwater CRISIS. (Cover story)." Scientific American 299, no. 2: 46-53. Academic Search Premier, EBSCOhost (accessed November 4, 2010).