The Global Water Crisis
Water is not an infinite resource. Humans are using the earth’s water faster than it can replenish itself. Many regions of the world are literally running out of drinkable water—close to two billion people now live in water-stressed areas. Maude Barlow, the United Nations’ first Senior Advisor on water issues, considers the global water crisis to be the greatest threat of all time. It is estimated that by the year 2025, two thirds of the world’s population will face water scarcity. This crisis is due to many factors, including pollution, climate change, and population growth. Read on to get the facts.
- Of all the water in the world, 97.5% is saltwater. Only 2.5% of the water in the world is fresh water.
- Of this fresh water, 69.5% is frozen in glaciers, snow and permafrost; 30.1% is in deep aquifers; 0.4% is surface and atmospheric water (lakes, soil moisture, air humidity, marshes and wetlands, rivers, plants and animals).
- This leaves only 0.025% of fresh water available for human use, representing just one one hundred-thousandth of the total amount of water on earth!
- Today, approximately 3,800 cubic kilometres of fresh water is withdrawn each year from the world's lakes, rivers and aquifers. This is twice the volume extracted 50 years ago.
- During the twentieth century, the global human population tripled, but water consumption increased sevenfold.
- Farming accounts for roughly 70% of human water consumption. Yet, as much as 70% of water used by farmers never gets to crops, perhaps lost through leaky irrigation channels or by draining into rivers or groundwater.
- Around the world, bodies of water are being used as garbage dumps. Ninety percent of the wastewater produced in developing countries is discharged, untreated, into local waters. In China, almost 80% of the major rivers can no longer support any aquatic life because they are too polluted. In the U.S., toxic run-off has caused 40-46% of rivers, streams and lakes to be too dangerous for swimming, fishing or drinking. In Europe, 20% of all surface water is “seriously threatened”.
- Canada has 6% of the world's renewable fresh water (water replenished by precipitation, runoff or groundwater recharge), placing it third behind Brazil and Russia. However, this does not mean Canadians should not be concerned…
- Sixty percent of Canada’s water drains north, in the opposite direction of where it’s needed most—toward the U.S. border where the majority of Canadians live; climate change is causing water bodies to evaporate and water levels are at historic lows in the Great Lakes; water pollution levels are rising; Canada is facing increasing pressure to export its fresh water in bulk; Alberta's oil sands industry uses 2-4 barrels of fresh water for every barrel of oil it extracts; and Canadian per capita water consumption is the second highest in the world and growing.
