A week ago today, March 22, was World Water Day. As someone living in the U.S., I realized how much I take water for granted, how little time I spend thinking about it, and how easy it to use water for any purpose I wish: I drink, cook bathe and wash dishes, clothes and my car with clean water. So I made it a point to find out more about the water issue facing us. What’s tough about environmental issues for me is that sometimes the facts are so sobering and the issue so big, that it doesn’t leave you without a lot of hope or inspiration. Information is just a start, though; we can still do something about it! The proverbial glass of water is still half full. So after learning what’s up, I’ll share some easy steps we can take.
Lake Michigan, Chicago, IL, USA
First, some fun facts. According to the Great Lakes Restoration Network , the Great Lakes contain 6 quadrillion gallons of fresh water; 1/5 of the world’s fresh surface water (only the polar ice caps and Lake Baikal in Siberia contain more); 95% of the U.S. supply; and 84% of the surface water supply in North America. Spread evenly across the continental U.S., the Great Lakes would submerge the country under about 9.5 feet of water.
What’s up with our water?
- Most of the earth is covered in water, approximately 70%.
- This leaves us with 1% of the world’s total freshwater supply available for human use, animals and irrigation.
- Most experts frame the issue as one of access vs. scarcity, meaning that our water shortages are caused by irresponsible water management.
- Water is critical to supporting human life, animal life and our food supply, yet our water ecosystems are in danger from poor management: increasing use and demand, environmental events such as changes in rainfall patterns, industrial pollution, waste and mismanagement of water resources.
- Consider demographic factors such as increasing population, particularly in countries like China and India. Couple that with indiscriminate use in richer countries, like the United States, where we use potable water for our toilets when gray water (“recycled” water) can do, and where technologies exist for conserving water exist but yet are not used widely.
- Pollution: Globally, industrial and domestic effluents are dumped into rivers, lakes and reservoirs, polluting our fresh water.
- Inefficient water infrastructure and irrigation systems lose water; for example, in many irrigation systems as little as 37% of the water is actually used by crops due to seepage, runoff or evaporation. By the way, 70% of our freshwater is used for irrigation.
Of that 70%, 97% of the earth’s water is saltwater, leaving 3% freshwater, the water that is able to sustain human life. And of that 3%, roughly 99% is in glaciers and ice caps or in water tables too deep to access.
- According to the United Nations, about 1 in 5 people on the planet do not have access to safe drinking water. 2 in 5 people do not have access to clean water to wash with, clean with or go to the bathroom with.
- There are concerted efforts in the international community to address this. 192 countries in the United Nations have committed resources and signed off on the Millennium Development Goals. One of these goals is to reduce by half the proportion of people without access to safe drinking water and clean sanitation by 2015.
Next: Some easy steps for us to take…
