Cynthia Barnett Water Work

The op-ed Get ready for a new normal: Dry and Drier is a very insightful article and comes from a rhetorical standpoint that is heavily laced with reasoning, scientific evidence, and emotion inducing claims. It illustrates to us how current conditions are and the projected trajectory if there is nothing done to help conserve water. Furthermore, it also demonstrates how certain governments are taking action right now, through laws and policies. Along with colorful commentary of political parties stance on the issue. Using all the information put forth, the author William Debuys effectively does drum up a sense of urgency to anyone who would read the article

In the United States, the available water resources is also under assault. Half of water collected and stored by existing infrastructure is usually used in the production of electricity. This forces the population to use and divide what little there is left. This has always been a “good enough” approach until now, when water prices and population is on the rise.(3) There are already calls for charging water resources in order to increase efficiency of use.(3) Water protection is already being carried out and has been for years, but there is still water pollution occurring within the United States. After the Civil war, America strived to provide its population with clean water

He wraps up by saying, “The water problem is daunting. But putting a sensible price on water to invite investment and encourage conservation, increasing the availability of information and doubling down on innovation can go a long way towards solving it”(Webber 3). The use of this quote sums up the rest of Webber’s paper. By saying that the problem can be solved, Webber leaves his audience on a positive note with the belief that they can help fix the water problem in America.

Thesis statement (central idea): Access and availability to fresh water are essential to the survival of the human race. Fresh water is a finite source and once it is gone, we have limited options to replenish it, so we must take action to conserve the fresh water we do have especially at home in the United States.

Just raising the cost of water is not sufficient, as it does not discourage people from using more water because they are not forced to use less. An acceptable, humane amount of water per person should be decided upon by the water conservation act, and if this amount is exceeded, the cost for additional gallons of water should be triple what is normally paid. This would be effective in discouraging people from using too much water and depleting the supply.

For centuries people have sailed the rough, dangerous seas, risking their lives to reach this place we call home. In the near future, people may not be seeking to migrate here, but rather us migrate out if we continue on the path we currently are on. The rate at which we purchase unneeded expenditures is about the same that we overuse our survival resources. I’m here to talk about the over use of one particular resource that could end mankind and cause a global extinction. It’s called water.

The environmental issue discussed in “Blue Gold: World Water Wars” is water scarcity, a broad term that refers to the notion that water is a finite resource subject to be exhausted if it is abused. According to the film, Earth has two different types of water. Salt water is mostly unusable to humans and constitutes about 97% of the water on Earth. Fresh water is where the world’s drinking water comes from and constitutes only 3% of the water on Earth. After explaining these statistics, Maude Barlow brings up the point that, until very recently, humans saw water as something that would constantly replenish itself as long as the

Low prices associated with water calls for exploitation of water use and by increasing the price, consumers can choose how they prioritize their water usage from an “expendable luxury” to a valued resource. A consequence of this plan would put a heavier burden on low income households which makes up 32% of Americans since 2011 (Population Reference Bureau, 2011). Though Earth is 70% water, only 1% is accessible through aquifers and with the reduction of this natural resource, it forces us to use harmful alternative which will only increase the Earth’s temperature and in turn, become an unbreakable cycle if we do not consider and take action about how our seemingly indirect daily actions affect the process of

37 countries have started thinking this way, but the majority of countries in this world have not been thinking in this way. Another critiques is that millions of dollars have been funded to establish water markets and give water to scarce water regions in the world, but what about poor countries that are dumping waste, chemicals, and other run offs from factories, making the water undrinkable, and make people sick if they drink it, are there other funds and money going to countries that have to deal with this on a daily basis. Is there a way to eliminate this problem? I believe that every human on this planet should have access to clean drinking water for free. Will making water a tradable asset really reach this goal of clean drinking water for all? This article does demonstrate that things are going in the right direction unlike in years before. Without water the world would not exist, wasting water hurts everybody in the world. If everybody can do their part by conserving water, water can be sustainable years and years to

If you think about it, the life of every living thing practically revolves around water. Some animals may call it a resource, while others call it home. At first thought, we as humans might think of water as nothing more than the thing we drink or wash our cars with. True, these are very important uses for water that we have, but if you think about it more you will see that water even affects our economy. For instance, a beachside house is going to be more expensive than a house in the middle of the desert, or the fact that the more successful farms have the larger water supplies. To think of it, every aspect of a human’s life contains water in some shape or form. As a city grows, so does the demand for water. But what if the supply of water runs dry, what happens then? In the year 2011, the water supply in the state of California began to decrease. Today, California is in the midst of a record drought. Not knowing when the drought will end, Californians have been pointing their fingers to the government for a solution with which they are not providing. Little do the people know, but there are a number of ways in which they can help put this drought to an end while the government is trying to find a solid solution.

When referring to Arizona’s water Kris Mayes, chairwoman of the state’s utility regulatory panel once said, “How do you say just how valuable water is in an arid state like Arizona?” she said. “It’s like the credit-card commercial-it’s priceless” (McKinnon). She was right, because in a dry state like Arizona, water is pretty important. To say water is ‘pretty important’ for the world is an understatement. We use water to function. And when we think of water we think of saving it. Keep the faucets from dripping or turn off the water while brushing your teeth. There are numerous tips for water conservation, but people don’t often think of the damage that is already done. Damages like ‘dead zones’. Dead zones in the ocean have been around for

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

What is the one thing that all humans can agree on? Clean water. Then why are roughly 844 million people around the world living without access to clean water? (UN Water) As simple as it may seem, there are complex layers that have overlapped for generations, leading to an endless cycle of poverty. The scarcity of water contributes to issues in health, education, and poverty. Water impacts nearly every aspect of life; however, the most shocking fact is that we already have the solutions to provide safe water. The first obstacle that we must overcome is the allocation of resources. Now, more than ever, we have access to the world’s finest research and technology that could very easily end the water crisis. The solution to the water crisis starts with spreading awareness and reaching out to generous donors. Proper funding can be raised to reach the goals of charities across the globe. Sustainable clean water technology can be distributed to some of the most poverty-stricken countries in the world, such as Ethiopia, Somalia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, which all have populations of over fifty percent living without improved drink water sources. (Africa Development Information) I believe we have the means to provide solutions to put an end to the water crisis, but it will require effort from donors and local communities alike. It is possible within the decade that no one will need to drink unsafe water again if we are united by this cause.

Life springs up around water sources. It is no coincidence that some of the greatest civilizations have been build need fertile bodies of water. Known life relies on water to sustain that life. So it is no surprise when a debate arose in 2013 around comments made by Nestlé Chairman Peter Brabeck regarding privatization of water and the fundamental human right to survive from dehydration and illness from non-portal water consumption. Although the context of Brabeck’s comment was taken out of context, issues surrounding the access companies like Nestlé have been given to bottle their water when people do not have access to clean water and droughts are threatening crop production. Adding a price tag is not the answer. The market, both these companies and their consumers have a major role to play in the management of water; a role that requires a change in mindset of privilege many citizen of the United States, and other countries that do not see the direct effects that serious clean water issue have on people that do not have it.

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.