Water Scarcity Flashcards
What is water scarcity?
It’s the lack of sufficient water resources to meet the demands of water usage within a region.
What are the two types of water scarcity?
Physical and economic water scarcity.
How much of Earth’s water is salty?
97%
How many percent of fresh water is available?
1%
How many percent of the fresh water is on land?
0.01%
What is physical water scarcity?
It occurs when there isn’t enough water to meet all the demands for it.
What is economic water scarcity?
It occurs when there is a lack of investment or human capacity to satisfy the demand for it, even in areas where it is abundant.
Salt water from the oceans get turned into fresh water, which we humans can use. Explain how it happens?
When the salt water from the ocean evaporates, it leaves behind the salt. It is then condensed into a cloud and when the cloud gets too full, it starts to precipitate. As the water comes down to Earth again it is transformed into clean, fresh water which then runoff into lakes, streams, and rivers.
What is the difference between physical and economic water scarcity?
Physical water scarcity is when there is a lack of sufficient water in an area while economic water scarcity is when there is a lack of investment in the infrastructure needed for sufficient water.
Which continent has the biggest area of economic water scarcity?
Africa
Which continent has the biggest area of physical water scarcity?
Asia
Which type of water scarcity is easier to tackle; physical or economic?
Economic water scarcity because there is sufficient water but there isn’t money to invest in it, the only problem is that there isn’t money.
What are three examples of causes of water scarcity?
Overuse, pollution, conflict (war), distance, governmental access, climate change, illegal dumping, natural disasters
What are three examples of effects of water scarcity?
Lack of insufficient water, hunger, lack of education, diseases, poor sanitation, poverty, migration, destruction of habitats, loss of biodiversity
