Chapter 1: Water: A Necessity Yet Scarce
[ http://earthtrends.wri.org/updates/node/73 ]

"The amount of water in the world is finite. The number of us is growing fast and our water use is growing even faster. Over a third of the world's population lives in water-stressed countries now. There is more than enough water available, in total, for everyone's basic needs. " - Alex Kirby, BBC News

"Water scarcity is partly due to the uneven geographic distribution of water, as determined by the Earth's climate system. It is also a result of regional variations in population size."

In the article found above, the main issue addressed is the overstressed usage of water and uneven distribution throughout the earth. As little as 15 percent of the world's population can live without worrying about water. But what about the other 85 percent? According to the article, there are about 3.5 billion people at risk for diseases due to bad water conditions. The source has an chart which compares the layout of how water is used in different parts of the world. In almost every case, water is used the most for agricultural purposes. An interesting thing to note on the graph is that North America and Europe, highly developed continents with a large access to clean water, use water more primarily for industrial uses over agricultural. The article also compares a picture of Lake Chad from thirty years ago and a more recent picture. The water has been drained and currently lacks the presence of a large body of water.

Unfortunately, water scarcity has been a major problem in the past several decades. In many areas of the world, this problem hangs over the lives of billions. As stated in the article, an estimated 40% of the world's population lives under "water-stressed" conditions, which means that they don't have the high water quality standards found in developed countries. Depending on the situation, this could mean that the water prices are high, quality is poor, access is limited, and/or just has a complete lack of water altogether. Government officials of these countries and areas are forced to come up with ways to help the people, which usually results in more tax money being spent on water issues and less money being spent elsewhere, such as health care and education. This is a large potential factor for slowing down an entire economical system, because if, for example, the current and future work force should succumb to any sicknesses or don't have enough proper training and education to get decent jobs, then the economy takes a huge blow. Taking the work force out of the equation basically stops all economic activity, since no one will be working and no one will have the financial sustainability to buy anything.

Although we may not notice it, since living in North America offers us access to clean cheap water, water scarcity ultimately affects everyone because systems are interconnected throughout the world. If countries run out of water, they may be forced to take harsh actions, such as purchasing water filtering plants. These plants are likely to add to pollution to the already foggy atmosphere. Opening plants will stir economic activity as it creates jobs, which leads to more consumption which again also sidetracks to more pollution. All the smog and harmful chemicals in the air will damage the Earth's atmosphere, burning holes in the ozone layer, which affects everyone in the world. With this in mind, we wonder how people can continue living the lifestyles they do. The solution to water scarcity does not have to include environmentally harmful options, however. If everyone became a global citizen and shared our water, would the world become a better place?