Downfall : Precipitation Or Extinction?

Climate change is arguably the greatest threat to humanity and the worst of it’s effects are fast approaching. It is the basis of a myriad of problems, one of which is water scarcity. As the world population grows and the climate warms, demand for fresh water has surged-- with water scarcity affecting more than 40 percent of the global population (United Nations, 2010). Conversely, the world’s fresh water supplies are dropping. Water is indispensable to biotic existence. While it aided in humankind's creation, it can also aid in its downfall. Bearing these elements in mind, one can consider the implications of this water crisis: What are the threats to its quality? Who will it affect? Is water a right or a commodity? What are the social, economic, and political variables and how do they connect? And ultimately, how can we fix this? Throughout my research I seek the answers to these critical questions.

Water is all around us. This substance is of high importance to every living thing which is on planet earth. As much as we consider water to be life and the most important substance, still we don’t seem to appreciate it very much, as it is being wasted in such great amounts. Everyone believes that water will always be around but not taking into account that the majority of the water on planet earth are not for human consumption. Human beings can only survive on consuming fresh water. The percentage of

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.

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.

Water is a fundamental resource necessary for all life on Earth. Humanity would be extinct without it. People think there is an unlimited supply of water, however there is not. The overuse of water is a problem that needs to be stopped. Society needs to learn to live in a more sustainable way. If humanity continues to overuse Earth’s natural resources the way it does today, the Earth will run dry. To prevent the depletion of water, people need to be aware of their impact on the environment and live sustainably. By controlling the population, limiting fossil fuel usage, and stopping greed, the depletion of water can be prevented.

Water, and the water cycle, is the most essential material that life requires here on Earth (Doršner,, 2015). The percentage of water that makes up human existence is staggering, easily justifying the need to have enough fresh water on hand to sustain our population. Given that, 85% of our brains are made of water, and that approximately 75% of our entire body is also made of water, it is clear to me that water is critical to our existence. Some of the most considerable impacts that I made to the water, or hydrological, cycle are through wastage. As a resident of a developed nation, I have fresh water at my fingertips, both at my office and in my home. It is extremely easy for me to gain access to fresh water without worry for quality or quantity. Nevertheless, this means that I am able to waste much of the water that residences in developing nations could travel miles and miles to collect. Urbanization has also greatly

The water crisis in the world is increasing, and it will continue to increase if something is not done. Water makes up approximately seventy-one percent of Earth’s surface. This does not include the water underground. Everyday water is being taken more than it is being put in, and people have a large role in this. Climate change, the number of people in the world, and water wasted is among the uppermost causes of the water crisis. It is simple, if you do not have water, you will eventually die. The water crisis is a health crisis for everyone globally.

Environmental issues have been a big problem since the 70’s, we were warned that if we continued to treat the planet as we already were, and there would be consequences not only on the planet but humans as well. Human beings are continuously destroying the planet and in the process wasting water; yet demanding that we have fresh water for everyone. “By 2050, the global population will demand roughly 80 percent more energy and 55 percent more water than today” (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/adnan-z-amin/the-intersection-of-water_b_8031834.html.) Water covers about 75 percent of the earth and this gets divided into ponds, lakes and rivers. If humans were to lose water as a resource that would have a huge effect on a great many things. We would

Here on planet earth things are steadily growing, changing and becoming faster right before our eyes. Here in America, it's hard to remember the daily struggles in other countries as we're so wrapped up in ourselves. These problems are happening daily and we don't even realize it, but one day it will catch up to us. These problems include the massive increase in population, will there be enough food, and will there be enough water for future generations? The population is growing by 80 million each year, 220,00 each day, and with that comes the demand for water, which doubles every 20 years. Though the planet contains a massive amount of water, approximately 97% is undrinkable seawater and another 2% is in the ice caps. We're in danger of many

A surge in the global population in the past century has brought about an immense strain on the commons. It is estimated that 35% of the global population suffers from “severe water stress” (Wada et al., 2010). Only 3% of the world’s supply of water is freshwater, with 68.7% being locked away in the glaciers, 30.1% in ground water, and 0.9% in surface water bodies (Shiklomanov, 1993). This makes groundwater the most abundant fresh water source readily available for human consumption. Estimates for global groundwater withdrawal are between 750 and 800 cubic kilometers per year (Konikow et al., 2005). Severe land subsidence and depletion of the groundwater table is occurring in both developing and developed nations. This has made

Water is becoming a limited natural resource in the world. In an article published on National Geographic website about “Fresh Water Crisis” [1] it has mentioned that out of the 70% of water which is covering the earth, only 2.5% is suitable for drinking and just 1% of fresh water is easily accessible. In the same article the author talks about how people are wasting this limited resource. The growing scarcity of water is due to the rapid growth of population, rising demand for food and cash crops, increasing urbanization and rising standard of living. On the other hand people are writing articles and papers about how to solve this scarcity issue and all the resources presented about

water scarcity is the biggest threat to our food security. agriculture uses about 70 percent of all our freshwater from rivers every single year from around the world. river water is used to irrigate farms and feed billions of people around the world. the level of threat to the ongoing supply of fresh water available depends on the place. river systems and the water that the farmers capture store and distribute are the most threatened natural environments on earth. an increasing demand for water is by far the most common threat to food security around the world. with so much water being used it is easy to run out of the water what makes the crops die of dehydration.

Water covers 70% of our planet, and it is easy to think that it will always be plentiful. However, freshwater, what we drink, bathe in, irrigate our farm fields with makes up only 3% of the world’s water, and two-thirds of that is stored in frozen glaciers or unavailable for our use. Many of the water systems that keep ecosystems thriving and feed a growing human population have become stressed. Rivers, lakes and aquifers are drying up or becoming too polluted to use. Already, 80 countries suffer from water shortages that threaten health and economies while 40 percent of the world—more than 2 billion people—does not have access to clean water or sanitation

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

Groundwater is an important resource in regard to both its quality and quantity. In arid regions where rivers and streams may be less frequent, groundwater represents a sustainable source of water and it is important to determine if specific sites represent a renewable or a minable resource. Groundwater age at a specific site is useful in determining the rate of groundwater recharge or an acceptable rate of water harvesting in order to not completely deplete an aquifer.