Argumentative Essay On Fresh Water

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Many environmental issues plague world leaders in developed and developing countries in the 21st century. Of these issues, many people dismiss the issue of decreasing fresh water supply in favour of other seemingly more pressing issues. However, numerous scientists and organizations around the world emphasize the urgency of this issue, as fresh water is essential for the survival of humans. Although the Earth is covered largely by oceans, in comparison to fresh water, salt water is not very useful in the daily lives of many people. Fresh water accounts for 3% of all the water present on Earth, and of this 3%, only one third is accessible for human consumption; in essence, only 0.007% of the Earth’s water is accessible for human use (“Freshwater …show more content…

Agricultural practices use 70% of the world’s accessible fresh water, yet, inefficient irrigation systems and application methods of water cause 60% of the fresh water used to be wasted (“Water Scarcity”). Pollution from human activities, such as fertilizers, and toxic wastes also contaminate fresh water sources, further decreasing the amount of accessible water available for use. Perhaps the most unpredictable, yet incredibly significant cause of the fresh water crisis is how humans inefficiently use water in their lifestyles. A considerable extent in the daily lives of humans require the use of fresh water in various activities such as cooking, gardening, bathing, cleaning, laundry, drinking…etc. In these daily activities, many people do not consider the amount of water they use, and as a result, humans waste a large amount of water by performing simple tasks. For example, an average water sprinkler uses 530 litres of water every hour (Clift and Cuthbert). Not only is it crucial for people to recognize and understand the causes behind the fresh water crisis, it is also extremely important to understand the impacts of this

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