This post is part of a series on energy consumption and conservation. For other posts in this series please click here.
Water is the most essential component for human life found on our planet. When exploring other planets in our solar system, the first thing that scientists look for when investigating the possibility of extra-terrestrial life is water. Without clean, drinkable water, life simply cannot sustain itself.
For most people living inside the United States, clean water is a luxury that we often take for granted. But the truth is, outside of the U.S. and a few other developed nations, drinkable water is not that readily available. [1]According to Water.org, “More than 3.4 million people die each year from water, sanitation, and hygiene-related causes. Nearly all deaths, 99 percent, occur in the developing world and 780 million people lack access to an improved water source; approximately one in nine people.”
Imagining a life without access to clean water may be difficult for us living in the most developed nation in the world, but the way we live here is not the norm worldwide.
And while concerns about water shortages in our country pale in comparison to other places around the world, there are areas in the U.S. that are severely threatened by drought and an overall lack of water. In an effort to combat the surface water shortages, underground aquifers are being drained at an unsustainable rate which could prove disastrous in the long-run.
[2]According to a report published at Stanford University,
“Generally, though, groundwater is used alongside surface water to meet the state’s (California) needs, which range from urban and industrial uses to irrigating roughly half the fruits and vegetables grown in the United States. In normal and wet years, groundwater provides 30 to 40% of the water supply. It supplements surface water that is collected from snowmelt and rainfall then is stored and conveyed by a vast system of state and federal dams, reservoirs, and aqueducts. During droughts, surface water availability can be sharply reduced, leaving water users to pump water from local wells. At times like these, groundwater can surge closer to 60% of water used statewide, and even higher in agricultural areas like the Central Valley.”
Even though we here in the Eastern U.S. are not directly affected by this problem, if it continues, the entire country will feel the repercussions of water scarcity, including here in our own communities.
A large portion of all fruit and vegetable production occurs in the West, meaning higher food prices for everyone during drought-stricken periods. [3]According to the California Department of Food and Agriculture, “California’s share of total US Agricultural exports for 2013 was 14.7 percent or slightly more than the 13.1 percent share reported the previous year.”
As the population both foreign and domestic continues to increase, so too will the demand for clean water. The problems facing many third-world countries and sections of the American Southwest regarding water availability could eventually manifest themselves in more widespread areas. It’s important to remember that although we may be divided by state lines on a map, in the end we are all connected.
Keeping a global view of this issue really highlights the need for us to be more mindful of the way we use our resources, and ways in which we can reduce our consumption of essential elements, such as water.
[1] “Millions Lack Safe Water.” Water.org. Web. 29 Dec. 2014. <http://water.org/water-crisis/water-facts/water/>.
[2] “Understanding California’s Groundwater | Water in the West.” Groundwater: Ignore It, and It Might Go Away. Web. 29 Dec. 2014. <http://waterinthewest.stanford.edu/groundwater/overview/index.html>.
[3] “California Agricultural Production Statistics.” California Department of Food and Agriculture. CDFA, n.d. Web. 06 July 2015.