Climate Change depleted Water Resources and resulted in a shortage of access to water in some areas of the world
Maryam Yaqoob
Water makes up about 60% of human body weight and constitute about 70% of the earth. Nonetheless, the demands on water greatly exceed the supply and soon enough the world will run into serious problems. Since the industrial revolution, human footprint has increased exponentially. Population explosion and the ever-increasing greenhouse gas emission have affected our whole ecosystem. The world is already witnessing the devastating effects of climate change. Climate change has had a great impact on quality and the quantity of water resources. Climate Change has resulted in desertification, decrease in
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Nonetheless, desertification is not the only phenomena affecting land degradation. Deforestation, a phenomenon where forests are destroyed (Edwards, 2005). Nonetheless, the process of deforestation is partially due to Climate change, humans has cut down trees and contribute to the deforestation. It is arguable that that deforestation has led to lands becoming vulnerable to desertification (Edwards, 2005). This is prevalent especially in places where the land is exposed to high temperatures and prolonged direct sun exposure. Based on these evidences, climate change has resulted in a drought and shortage of water supply in some regions of the world (Edwards, 2005).
Although it might seem that Global warming has resulted in an abundance of water supply as the result of excessive precipitation and floods in some areas of the world. Nonetheless, large sections of the world are under the risk of having a shortage in fresh water supply. The average snowfall has decreased in many areas of the world (Paul A O 'Gorman, 2014). Fluctuations in rainfall and snowfall cycles disrupt the availability of water for irrigation (Frederick & Major, 1997). Decreased snowfall results in decreased snowmelt in the subsequent summer, which results in a decrease in the content of the water stream. Some fresh water rivers acquire their stream from mountain snowmelt. The fluctuation in precipitations and flooding makes it harder to exploit these resources. Dooms and water reservoirs operate on
In addition, global climate change will exacerbate these challenges faced by countries and populations. Shifting precipitation patterns threaten to reduce water availability in some regions while inflicting stronger storms on others, increasing both potential droughts and floods. This may increase the frequency of more serious
The world’s supply of water is in steep decline as more and more is being used each year by more and more people around the globe. Currently, 800 million people do not have access to a drinking source. At the current rate, 1.8 billion people could be living in areas of absolute water scarcity by 2025.
Countries will face many problems due to climate change and the capacity of a government to provide health care will be reduced dramatically. What water scarcity does not necessarily mean the availability of water, with the planet being 70 percent water, but the quality of water. Presently, poor countries are already being affected by water scarcity. It is reported that currently 1.2 billion people do not have access to safe drinking water and this figure will be 2.7 to 3.5 billion people by 2025 if effective steps are not taken to mitigate the water scarcity problem. Climate change causes different factors which may headway for political and social conflicts, so water scarcity will have major impacts on populations’ health. South Asian Studies is a reputable research journal out of the University of Punjab, which has been printed and available online since 1984. Muhammad Zakria Zakar, one of the three authors of this article is a professor at the University of Punjab. Rebeena Zakar, second of the three authors is the Chairman of the Public Health and Quantitative Social Research department at the University of Punjab. Third and final author of this paper is Florian Fischer, a professor at University of Bielefeld in Germany. The evidence of human caused climate change affecting the entire worlds water resources I can use to support my argument on water scarcity and its effects on
Around the world our water supply is depleting. Our water is becoming contaminated making it harmful for both mammals and aquatic life. Today over one billion people go without adequate water supply and every fifteen seconds a child dies of waterborne illness. Sources of water that once supplied water to millions can no longer meet the supply and demand of the water need. Scientist predict that the amount of useful water will keep depleting greatly in the years to come. In the next couple of pages it will talk about both the geological and human reasons as to why are water supply is depleting.
Some areas of the world are already considered water stressed. In areas that are water stressed, the amount of sustainable water is running low. The people in these regions are in need of new and clean water to start being present. According to Roberts, “By 2050 more than half the world’s
Water is essential to life. It is a vital resource that makes up 70% of the earth’s surface. However, only 3% percent of the earth’s water is freshwater and two-thirds of that freshwater are frozen in glaciers and ice caps, leaving an incomparably small portion available for sustaining earth’s life forms (“How Much Water is in the Ocean?”). Rising surface temperatures, caused by greenhouse gasses that are released when burning fossil fuels, are threatening this water supply by accelerates the rate of water evaporation and limiting precipitation, which leads to droughts and water shortages. Furthermore, earth’s growing population is consuming an increasingly larger fraction of freshwater, which is causing the earth’s natural aquifers to dry up. This global water crisis is especially acute in the western United States where California is experiencing critical drought conditions that are endangering the state’s ability to sustain life. The current California water crisis will ultimately make the state uninhabitable because of several severe, long-term consequences.
In recent years not only is the complex issue of water scarcity a widespread issue but
In the water sector, which is a special concern for this research, it is predicted that the water supply conditions in all regions and sectors in the world are likely
Solving the global water crisis moves beyond the technical feasibility stage.(2011). Trends Magazine, (104), 19-24.
We usually associate water shortages with a lack of drinking water, but global water scarcity has a critical impact on food security. Agriculture consumes more water than any other source. Climate change is altering patterns of weather around the world, causing shortages and droughts in some areas and floods in others. Water is key to food security. Crops and livestock need water to grow. Agriculture requires large quantities of water for irrigation and various production processes. Water scarcity may limit food production and supply, putting pressure on food prices and increasing countries’ dependence on food imports
Water is the main source of life on the Earth. It is vital for normal existence and functioning of organisms. Earth is sometimes called “water planet.” But, in fact, the number of freshwater is limited. “Only about 2 percent of the planet's water is fresh.” (How much water is there on Earth?) This water is not enough even to meet daily needs of mankind. According to World Health Organization, “a lack of water to meet daily needs is a reality today for one in three people around the world.” (2009) In the Middle East the situation is especially hard. This region is thought to be one of the droughtiest places in the world, most of it’s territory is deserted. Freshwater accounts to 1 percent of the world’s supplies, while the population comes
There are a variety of causes held responsible for the water crisis in Africa. These causes have been taken from African’s control and desperately need to be solved. Climate change is one of the countless reasons that there is a high demand for water in Africa. An article entitled “Africa’s Water Crisis Deepens” written for the 2006 News Scientist, states that Drought, famine and spreading deserts have plagued Africa for the past 30 years. With the expansion of desertification, the process in which land becomes increasingly dry with little to no water resources, areas of land have dried out and are useless to humans due to the lack of rainfall on the African continent over the past several years.
Desertification is the development of desert-like conditions in regions that have experienced human disturbance (Laura, n.d.). Drought, growing population and war are factors affecting desertification. They have their tremendous impacts; however, they can be solved.
Water constitutes an indispensable component of climate system found in all parts of biosphere. Increased temperatures reported throughout the last century resulted in a number of hydrological alterations extending from modification of precipitation patterns, rapid snow and ice retreat, to changes in total runoff and increasing number of intensive or extreme events. These changes of climate associated with the water availability show substantial spatial and temporal variability (Bates et al., 2008). In Europe, climate change has a strong north-south gradient, imposing positive changes in the north and negative changes in the south in terms of rainfall and precipitation (Christensen and Christensen, 2007). Areas such as the Mediterranean basin are particularly vulnerable and projected to experience more frequent, long-lasting and intensive drought events. Therefore as indicated by several studies annual river discharge is expected to decrease along with high seasonal flow variability (Alcamo et al., 2007; Arnell, 2004; Iglesias et al., 2011; Milly et al., 2005). Likewise with the general Mediterranean trend, Italy is exposed to progressive water scarcity as indicated by past observations and future projections. Over the last five decades precipitation was decreased by 14% along the country, while a further diminishing is the main projection of the IPCC scenarios towards the end of 2060. Under the A2 emission scenario 10% precipitation decrease is predicted for the north and
Water scarcity is the lack of sufficient available water resources to meet the demands of water usage within a region. It already affects every continent and around 2.8 billion people around the world at least one month out of every year. More than 1.2 billion people lack access to clean drinking water. Water scarcity involves water stress, water shortage or deficits, and water crisis. While the concept of water stress is relatively new, it is the difficulty of obtaining sources of fresh water for use during a period of time,result in further depletion and deterioration of available water resources. Water shortages may be caused by climate change, such as altered weather patterns including droughts or