Resources Futures-water Flashcards
Current water use isn’t sustainable
Excessive withdrawal has led to severe depletion of freshwater supplies, e.g. many aquifers have had so much freshwater removed that they have now filled with seawater.
Water stress is expected to increase in the future
Globally, water demand is likely to exceed the current supply by 40% by 2030.
It’s predicted that by 2050, around 2.5 billion people will be living in areas of water scarcity.
Water stress is likely to be most severe in the Mediterranean, the Middle East, western USA, eastern Australia, western Asia, northern China and Chile.
Increased water stress would lead to problems for people
Insufficient drinking water is a threat to human life- where water is scarce, supplies of drinking water often become polluted, e.g. by sewage. This can cause death or disease.
A lack of water for irrigation limits food production-this could lead to reduced incomes and malnutrition.
Competition over remaining water resources is likely to cause more conflict.
Water futures will be affected by Technological developments
Increasing water supply - improvements to desalination (e.g. using graphene oxide sieves that efficiently filter salt from seawater) may mean that freshwater can be obtained from seawater more cheaply than at present and with minimal energy use.
Appropriate technology - e.g. in arid countries such as Kenya, sand dams can be constructed on seasonal rivers to trap water, making it available all year round.
Reducing water waste-e.g. nanotechnology could be used to purify polluted water, allowing more to be recycled. Smart monitoring of distribution networks could catch leaks early so that less water is wasted.
Water futures will be affected by Economic developments
More economically developed countries use more water per person. This means that as more countries become more developed, global water demand will increase.
However, as more countries become more developed, they will also be able to afford the technology and infrastructure to obtain more water and deliver it to where it’s needed, so more people will have reliable access to clean water.
Water futures will be affected by Environmental developments
Climate change, dry areas are likely to become drier and wet areas wetter. Water management strategies will need to take this into account. However, global efforts to minimise climate change may help to limit its impacts on the water supply.
Integrated catchment management looking at all aspects of a river catchment (e.g. geology, ecology and land use) can help to ensure that water supply and use are sustainable.
Water futures will be affected by Political developments
Cooperation - countries with abundant water supplies can help countries with water shortages. There can also be agreements between countries that withdraw water from the same source about how much they take, so that overall withdrawal is sustainable.
Policies - government policies can encourage people to use less water, e.g. water meter installation could be compulsory, so people have to pay for the water they use.
