Water Supply And Its Effects On Earth

Water is probably the most important resource we as people have. Humans can survive without food for several weeks, but without water we would die in less than a week. On a slightly less dramatic note, millions of liters of water are needed every day worldwide for washing, irrigating crops, and cooling industrial processes, not to mention leisure industries such as swimming pools and water-sports centers. Despite our dependence on water, we use it as a dumping ground for all sorts of waste, and do very little to protect the water supplies we have.

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.

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.

The earth is like a living organism; it thrives full of life with a fragile balance. This balance has been thrown off by many different things. Water seems to be one of the biggest problems with this offset balance. Water is a magic liquid keeping all of life thriving. Humans drink and use water, plants use water, water is used in everyday life, and it’s slowly being taken away. In the future, there will be no water left to sustain life on earth.

Nearly half the states in the U.S. are abnormally dry. This is a situation that will be happening until the world ends. By 2025, an estimated 1.8 billion people will live in areas plagued by water scarcity, with two-thirds of the world's population living in water-stressed regions as a result of use, growth, and climate change (“Clean Water Crisis, Water Crisis Facts, Water Crisis Resources”). This is something very serious to think about. We will be looking this problem directly in the face in less than 10 years unless we all make a conscious effort to significantly cut down on the amount of water we use. For a lot of third world countries, this water shortage problem is something that affects daily life. 319 million people in Sub-Saharan Africa are without access to improved reliable drinking water sources (The Water Project). That's more people living without adequate water conditions, than the total population of the United States in 2014. As an American myself, the

Among all of the resources in the world, there is one that we do not often consider to be diminishing. The masses take this resource, water, for granted. When the average person takes a single look at a world map, they see multiple blue oceans covering the Earth. But, although we are surrounded by water, our clean water reserves dwindle rapidly. In her article, “Water Works”, Cynthia Barnett attempts to bring this issue to greater light and offers her own solutions. While I agree with many of Barnett’s points, she fails to look at the arguments of her detractors to the detriment of her already flawed case.

Water isn’t the only natural resource that isn’t looking great. In the last five years the world consumed 27 billion barrels of oil a year, but the oil industry only discovers three billion a year. Only one barrel is being replaced for every 9 barrels used.

The Cree Indian prophecy stated that, Only when the last tree has been cut down, the last fish caught, and the last stream poisoned, will we realise we cannot eat money. Water is something in such abundance that is available to us at the turning of a faucet, so much that we tend to take it for granted and forget its global impact. We need to stand together and protect clean potable water when our watershed is being threatened. Water is our most precious resource, without it, life itself would seem to exist.

Earth is filled with vast amounts of water, yet it’s like a cruel joke to people who cannot drink it due to its toxicity to us. Likewise, fresh water is our most precious resource that people depend on every day. Our society is based around the use of large amounts of water in our everyday lives. Charles Fisher, a three time winner of the Gerald Loeb award, a writer for the magazine Fast Company, and the author of The Walmart Effect and The Big Thirst, tells a different story. In the article Will the World Run out of Fresh Water, which explains that people take water for granted and never see its true value like people in the past, published at the Detroit Greenhaven Press in 2012. Because we use vast amounts of water and never see the process in which water is given to people, Fisherman proposes this idea that water is taken for granted until we run out, which is more than true.

As a resident of the United States, imagine the nation 's future without water. Land terribly dry and brown with hardly any plants growing. Laws being put in place that would fine you for using too much water and people fighting over what remains of this extremely important resource. Each group trying to persuade the other that their need for water is greater. Well, if you are a resident of California, this is already happening. Farmers, people, and environmentalists all want the water to be used for different things, the only problem is, there isn’t enough. The current drought has continued for about five years now, with extremely high temperatures and a lack of precipitation. While personal hygiene, common comforts and the fish

The earth’s population is over 7 billion and growing. This has caused many people to question the provisions that will be provided in the future for the coming generations because of the overconsumption of individuals. The earth is already struggling to sustain its natural resources for the vast majority of people living here, so bringing more children will cause extra strain on trying to preserve them. Water is an example of a

The western region of the United States has greatly contributed to its long held position as the greatest country in the world. However, this idea of being the greatest country gives its citizens a need to be great and want the greatest leading to overusing everything including water. The main issue is that water is being overused and vastly wasted. Another issue is that the water that it is available is taken from one sector to be given to another sector. For example, agriculture takes an immense amount of water, but the water crisis has also reached the agriculture industry in the western region of the United States leaving billions of dollars in losses and thousands of jobs lost. Moreover, the laws and restriction that attempt to

As the worlds population grows, it is forced by circumstances that it has created to face the limitations of the worlds resources. Most people in the US have always been fortunate enough to have enough of whatever they wanted. When something they like breaks or wears out, they throw it away or buy a new one, and they often don’t even make an attempt to repair an item. They neglect basic maintenance until they damage their belongings beyond repair, and expect that they’ll always have enough. But some things are beyond their control, beyond there power or financial ability to replace or repair. The world’s drinking water supply is one of these without concern, without attention, without preventative maintenance and reclamation and

In today’s society, the idea of a limited resource is not a foreign concept. Most people understand that eventually humans will use up many of these resources, such as fossil fuels, and they will cease to exist. However, very rarely does a conversation about limited resources get started over the water. While water itself is not a limited resource, clean drinkable water is becoming scarcer as people continue to use excess water. The documentary “Last Call at the Oasis” highlights how precious water is to survival and just how much miss use of water occurs in the United States alone. Even though the United States has gone down the wrong path with its water consumption methods, it may not be too late to recover. With the proper systems and education in place, the chances of delaying a water crisis increase exponentially.