A: List the major ideas, concepts or key points- point by point
This article explains that governments, authorities and policymakers worldwide need to manage and conserve our freshwater better. If we do not conserve our freshwater, as much as 3/4 of population could face scarcities of freshwater. Fortunately, this article present solutions as well as problems regarding the conservation of freshwater. One problem to conserving freshwater is that the world would need to invest $1 trillion a year for existing technologies for conserving water, maintaining and replacing infrastructure and constructing sanitation systems. One solution to conserving water is to hold the water that isn't used for irrigation underground. Holding it behind dams would leave it vulnerable to evaporation. Holding it in tanks underground would reduce the rate of evaporation greatly. One reason behind people not conserving water is the price. If prices are too low, people wouldn't care about conserving the water. The solution to the problem is to raise prices. Raising prices would make people think twice about wasting water and could help the conservation effort. Although solving the problem to water conservation will take a long time, we can succeed if we start right away and stick to it.
C: Write a reaction paragraph to the article stating your own thoughts on the topic, using specific citations from the article to support your views
I think water conservation is the key to settling disputes all around the world. One of the main reasons why there are wars between countries are because of water. If wealthy nations can fund the poorer countries, they can use that money for water which can prevent any wars from happening. I also believe that people should be educated (as always) about this problem. Education can influence the general public to conserve the freshwater that they use. It can also influence the wealthy to use their money to help the other countries that lack money for water. Although it would cost a lot to get the water now, the conservation effort will help reduce that cost and will help other countries get the water to sustain populations in that area.
So what?
We must conserve water, if not the world will eventually have water to sustain a small population.
Says who?
Peter Rogers
What if...?
There was an infinite supply of water? Would there not be wars that are happening now?
What does this remind me of?
Usage of forests, we have to conserve our forests. If we do, it can benefit us greatly.
- Policymakers worldwide wield great power over how water sources are managed.
- Use of power will be important as the years go by because the world's demand for freshwater is overtaking its ready supply in many places.
- 1/6 people suffer inadequate access to safe freshwater.
- By 2025, freshwater resources of more than half the countries across the globe will undergo stress or shortages.
- By midcentury, as much as 3/4 of population could face scarcities of freshwater.
- Scientists expect water scarcity to become more common because the world's population is rising and many people are getting richer and because global climate change is exacerbatering aridity and reducing supply in many regions
- Water sources threatened by faulty waste disposal, industrial pollutants, fertilizer runoff and coastal influxes of saltwater into aquifers as groundwater is depleted.
- Lack of water leads to starvation, disease, political instability and armed conflict.
- Technology required to conserve exists
- Governments and authorities have to formulate and execute concrete plans for implementing the political, economic and technological measures that can ensure water security.
- Solving water problems requires understanding how much freshwater each person requires along with knowledge of the factors that impede supply and increase demand in different parts of the world.
- Each person requires 1,000 cubic meters of water per year.
- Distribution of global water resources varies widely.
- Providing water is challenging in drier, underdeveloped and developing nations with large populations.
- Rivers are overtaxed and regularly peter out for long periods
- Levels of underground aquifers are falling
- Shortages of freshwater are growing more common in developed countries
- Droughts have left many cities and towns in the northern part of Georgia and the Southwest scrambling for water.
- Ability to pay for water plays a major role for availability of water
- Struggle for freshwater has contributed to civil and military disputes in the area
- Demand for water varies from places to place.
- Demand rise with population size and growth rate. Tends to go up with income level
- Richer groups consume more water.
- Water prices set extent of demand.
- If the income of poor nations continue to climb to levels of middle-income countries, would greatly intensify the pressures on water supply.
- Reasonable pricing policies promote greater conservation by domestic and industrial users are worth adopting.
- Cost of freshwater has been too low to encourage users to save water.
- Setting high prices can spur the adoption of measures such as systematic reuse of used water
- Raising prices can convince municipalities and others to reduce water losses by improving maintenance of water-delivery systems
- Major consequence of pricing water too low is that insufficient funds are generated for future development and preventive upkeep.
- Cost of repairing and modernizing the water infrastructures of the U.S and Canada to reduce losses and ensure continued operation will be high.
- When the goal is to save water, another key strategy should be to focus on the largest consumers.
- Conserving irrigation flows would conserve dramatically more freshwater. To meet world food requirements, farmers will need a substantial rise in irrigation water supplies.
- 10% rise in irrigation efficiency would free up more water than is evaporated off by all other users.
- Goal could be achieved by stopping leaks in water-delivery infrastructure.
- Additional approach to saving irrigation water involves channeling water that is eventually intended for crop fields to underground storage in nongrowing season.
- Common solution is to hold surface water behind dams until the growing season.
- Underground storage would limit evaporation loss.
- Use of drip-irrigation systems minimize consumption by allowing water to seep in slowly either from the soil surface or directly into the root zone, would also do much to stem demand for irrigation water.
- Keeping the demand for irrigation water in arid areas down while still meeting the world's food requirements can be supported by supplying virtual water.
- Virtual water relates to the amount of water expended in producing food or commercial goods.
- Products are exported to a dry region, then that area will not have to use its own water to create them.
- Items represent a transfer of water to the recipient locale and supply them with so-called virtual water.
- Virtual water concept and expanded trade have also led to resolution of many international disputes caused by water scarcity.
- Imports of virtual water have reduced chance of water conflict
- Staving off future water shortages means spending money. Analysts at Booz Allen Hamilton have estimated that to provide water needed for all uses through 2030, the world will need to invest as much as $1 trillion a year
- Money for existing technologies for conserving water, maintaining and replacing infrastructure, and constructing sanitation systems.
- Sum is 1.5% of annual global GDP
- Investment in water facilities as a percentage of GDP has dropped by half in most countries since 1990s.
- Crucial for wealthy nations to provide funds to assist effort for getting more water in poor countries.
- International community can reduce the chances of a global water crisis if it puts its collective mind to the challenge
- We must accelerate the adoption of existing techniques to conserve and enhance water supply.
- Solving the water problem will not be easy, but we can succeed if we start right away and stick to it.
This article explains that governments, authorities and policymakers worldwide need to manage and conserve our freshwater better. If we do not conserve our freshwater, as much as 3/4 of population could face scarcities of freshwater. Fortunately, this article present solutions as well as problems regarding the conservation of freshwater. One problem to conserving freshwater is that the world would need to invest $1 trillion a year for existing technologies for conserving water, maintaining and replacing infrastructure and constructing sanitation systems. One solution to conserving water is to hold the water that isn't used for irrigation underground. Holding it behind dams would leave it vulnerable to evaporation. Holding it in tanks underground would reduce the rate of evaporation greatly. One reason behind people not conserving water is the price. If prices are too low, people wouldn't care about conserving the water. The solution to the problem is to raise prices. Raising prices would make people think twice about wasting water and could help the conservation effort. Although solving the problem to water conservation will take a long time, we can succeed if we start right away and stick to it.
C: Write a reaction paragraph to the article stating your own thoughts on the topic, using specific citations from the article to support your views
I think water conservation is the key to settling disputes all around the world. One of the main reasons why there are wars between countries are because of water. If wealthy nations can fund the poorer countries, they can use that money for water which can prevent any wars from happening. I also believe that people should be educated (as always) about this problem. Education can influence the general public to conserve the freshwater that they use. It can also influence the wealthy to use their money to help the other countries that lack money for water. Although it would cost a lot to get the water now, the conservation effort will help reduce that cost and will help other countries get the water to sustain populations in that area.
So what?
We must conserve water, if not the world will eventually have water to sustain a small population.
Says who?
Peter Rogers
What if...?
There was an infinite supply of water? Would there not be wars that are happening now?
What does this remind me of?
Usage of forests, we have to conserve our forests. If we do, it can benefit us greatly.