5.8 water insecurity- the causes Flashcards
What has the UN named the crisis of water demand and supply?
‘the lack of freshwater is emerging as the biggest challenge of the twenty-first century’
In theory, why is there no global water shortage?
only 50% of water available is actually used
What is the world water gap?
In many parts of the world, there is not enough water to meet demand, whereas wealthy countries consume more and more water. This is particularly increasing due to the developed world having increased standards of living
What is a statistic showing the world water gap?
12% of the population consume 85% of its water
How often does a child die from water-borne diseases
Every 90 seconds
How many people die of dirty water each year?
800,000
How many people worldwide lack access to clean drinking water?
1.8bn
How much money is lost worldwide each year by the fact that women must spend hours a day collecting water? How much could they earn in the same amount of time?
US$24 billion
What is water stress?
If a country’s water consumption exceeds 10% of its renewable freshwater supply, including difficulties in obtaining new quantities of water as well as poor quality restricting usage. Usually under 1,700m3 per person per year
What is water scarcity?
An imbalance between demand and supply, which can be physical: insufficient water to meet demand, or economic: people can’t afford water, even when it’s available
What is water insecurity?
Where present and future supplies of water cannot be guaranteed, leading to the need for physical or political and economic solutions (e.g. agreements between countries)
What does water sufficient mean?
If there is 3,000m cubed of water per person available each year. This includes countries such as Canada and Scandinavia
What does water vulnerable mean?
When there’s under 2,500m cubed of water per person per year. This includes Spain, Nigeria, India and the UK
Of the water available worldwide, how much is safe to drink?
2.5% - and only 1% of this is available as surface water
What are the human causes of water insecurity?
Increased population
Urbanization
Improved living standards
Industrialization
Agriculture
Contamination
Over abstraction
Why is increased population causing water security?
More people need more water;
As the world’s population increases by 80 million each year, global water consumption increases, meaning supply is struggling to keep up with demand. The population is likely to reach 9.1bn before 2050
Why does urbanisation cause water insecurity?
More than half the world now lives in urban areas putting pressure on availability in certain areas. Increased urbanisation also means increased runoff meaning less infiltration and less groundwater storage
Where has an increased population growth caused water insecurity?
In China, especially by the South-China sea in urban areas. China has 6% of the world’s freshwater supply, but 22% of the population
Where has urbanisation placed pressure on water resources?
By 2030, urban populations in Asia and Africa will double, increasing pressure on water resources, especially in warm climates where precipitation is low
Why is increased standards of living causing water insecurity?
As more countries become more developed, water demand increases, meaning supply struggles to keep up. This is exacerbated by changing consumer habits such as increased meat consumption, more cars and increased use of electronics
Where have standards of living increased, leading to water insecurity?
In China, where there is a growth in the middle class and a growing consumption of meat
Why does industrialization cause water insecurity?
An increase in industry causes a large increase in water usage, which can be seen in developing countries as well as places where there is an increase in water-intensive fracking. There is also an increase in industrial waste dumped into rivers; heavy metals and chemical waste are particularly toxic.
What is an example of where industrialization has caused water insecurity?
In the Ganges where many toxic industries like tanneries discharge their waste directly into the river. A billion gallons of raw sewage is dumped in the Ganges each day.
It has also been reported that between 2000 and 2050 water demand for manufacturing supplies would grow by 400%
Why is agriculture causing water insecurity?
Agriculture is by far the largest water user (usually accounts for 70% of water usage, but can be 90% in developing countries). By 2050, 60% more food will need to be produced.
Largely, inefficient water usage is depleting aquifers, reducing river flow, degrading habitats, increasing fertilizer and pesticide contamination, causing waterlogging and salination
