| English 102 OSU, OK (2009) | ||
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With The Loss Of Fresh Water The Most Eminent. "Water, water, everywhere, nor any drop to drink" - Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner, by Coleridge (University Of Michigan).  Seventy percent of the earth is covered by water, but over ninety-seven percent of that precious resource is ocean or salt water leaving only two and a half percent as fresh water. Nearly seventy percent of that water is frozen in Antarctica or Greenland with most of what is left in soil moisture or deep underground in aquifers that or not usable by us. That leaves less than one percent or seven one thousandth of a present, of all water suitable for human use. This water is in rivers, lakes, reservoirs, and aquifers that are accessible. All renew by rain and snowfall. It is this amount of precipitation that dictates the sustainability of the land and its water system (University Of Michigan).
The lack of fresh water will soon disrupt our present balance, bringing chaos to not only to our ecosystem, but also to our economy, international relations, and the hopes and dreams of many who are forever seeking the wealth and prosperity they have been promised. By the year 2025, the world will need 40 percent (UNFPA, 13) more usable water than is produces now. This logarithmic growth will only worsen not get better if the cause remains unaddressed. ("The Most IMPORTANT Video You`ll Ever See ")
The underground water table in much of the Midwest has dropped by more than one hundred feet. This is the major grain-producing states of Texas, Kansa, and our on state of Oklahoma. The affects of this are that thousands of farm wells have gone dry on the southern Great Plains. (Brown). This is a grim statistic from "World Creating Food Bubble Economy Based on Unsustainable Use of Water" and is only one of 100`s of reports that the world`s aquifers are losing ground. In simple words, we are using more water that is falling from the sky and it is worsening each year. This is not a sustainable system.
According to the USGS, this ground water provides about fifty percent of all drinking water for the nation, with rural populations relying on it almost entirely. Agricultural needs over 50 billion gallons pumped from these same aquifers per day. This sustained pumping is causing Ground-water depletion, long-term water-level declines. It is one of the main issues in ground water management. This ground water loss is being felt in many areas of the United States (Bartolino 1).
Even here in Oklahoma, we are in trouble. There will be a thirty-eight percent increase of population by 2060. Without better statutes, water management and money, the present system of water use is unsustainable. The number of wells have increased over o0ne thousand percent since 1972 to a total 69,921 in April of 2007. This is not a sustainable usage (Cole).
This problem is not just in the US but also worldwide. Don Hintichsen wrote in Population Report, that by 2025 35% of the world`s projected population would face severe water shortages. This is going to affect more than 2.8 billion people with loss of fresh water for drinking, leaving little or no water for irrigation. This inability to irrigate will bring its accompanying famine and conflicts.
Even now, countries that are water short are mining fossil aquifers in an attempt to find fresh water. These aquifers like take thousands of years to renew not just a season. When they are gone, they are essentially gone forever. The Middle East is one of the worst offenders for this (Hinrichsen).
A UN report for Third World Water Forum held in Kyoto, Japan states that water consumption is doubling every twenty years. At this rate of growth the seven to eight billion people, who will be on this planet, will be in water short or even water barren lands. The report predicts that five billion people will have a difficult if not impossible task just to have a glass of water, or even wash. With this lack of sanitation, the spread of disease is inedible.
At present 70% of available fresh water goes for irrigation. (Brown) The demand for fresh water has tripled in the last 50 years and out stripped nature ability to replenish the aquifers that are the main source of our water other that rivers. The water table here in Oklahoma has dropped more than 30 meters and in China, it is dropping at a rate of 3 meters a year and that rate is increasing (Brown). If our growth is unchecked competition for fresh water just to drink will diminish the supply for irrigation and with less irrigation, there is less food with more mouths to feed, nearly 3 billion by 2050 (Brown).
Bin Russell reports in The Independent (22 Mar. 2009) that cording to according to Gareth Thomas, the International Development minister, "If we do not act, the reality is that water supplies may become the subject of international conflict in the years ahead. We need to invest now to prevent us having to pay that price in the future." He also warned that two thirds of the population of the world would face shortages of water by 2025. Russell also quotes, Charlie Kronick, senior climate adviser at Greenpeace, as saying, the whole of sub-Saharan Africa, most of south Asia and western South America were at risk of water shortages if global warming continues. "There is no doubt that climate change is going to be potentially the biggest source of water stress."
In the 2009 Millennium Development Goals Report 2009, the outlook is poor. The present economic crisis was unforeseen and the 2015 goal date is not attainable. Efforts to reach the MDG predictions are being threatened by the present economic slowdown as well as the diminishing resources in the target nations. Compounding this is tightening trade opportunities and aid from the more developed nations. Climate changes were also one of the increasingly and apparent threats to both rich and poor nation. These changes could have devastating effects on all the nations of the world. It was now that the commitment in the Millennium Declaration is needed more than ever.
Kate Martin in her report of the Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management recommendations stated that one of the eight goals for MDG would fall short. Access to adequate sanitation will fall sort by 600 million people. She quotes, Paul Horton, CIWEM`s Director of International Development, as saying, "There is a growing realization that some of the MDGs will not be met, especially access to clean water and basic sanitation."
All this is adding up to a lack of water. Most of our fresh water in the arctic glaciers is also in danger with global warming. Once those glaciers melt that fresh waters is lost to the oceans salt water. Fresh clean water is essential to all people`s survival and without it they must move or parish. There are now no new territories, no new land, and every continent is over populated. The only result of all of this is conflict as the haves protect what they have from the ever increasing have not`s.
In 1998, the Blue Revolution purposed, with some hope, changes in attitude and management would solve the problem, but many of its proposals remained unimplemented. It also admitted that water-short countries that had rapid population expansions were probably already lost. It also says that the supply of fresh water is dwindling because of pollution. (Hinrichson) This is 10 years ago and it is very pessimistic. Things have only worsened since.
The nations that have the least, that are already in conflict, are in even worse position than those who are staying head of the consumption for now. This growing problem will be more and more the reason behind conflicts that, in the next ten years, could spill over into other parts of the world if this issue remains unaddressed.
Just this year Tracey Williams reporting for the LA Times said that water for 5.5 million people living in Mexico City as cut. She quotes Jorge Efren Villalon, a senior official with the National Water Commission as saying,"Where running out of water." The level at the main reservoir was below 60% of capacity. This is where 20 million people of this urban area get their water for drinking and washing.
There are 100`s of reports just like this one from all over the world. Mexico is our neighbor to the south. If they were to have no water and we were not to give them enough, they would have no choices but to take it. We would do the same. Thirst, like famine, can drive man`s reason away.
The next ten years are going to see a logarithmic increase ("The Most IMPORTANT Video You`ll Ever See ") in consumption on all are recourses. There is no real end in sight. We have taken too much and now we are looking at not enough even for the basics of life. There is no hope that we will find a new technology that will save us. There is no substantially uncharted territory to exploit. In short, we are out of options. The coming decade is going to make or break man and his attempt at being something more than just the primate that he is.
If we do not address the problem soon we will not be able to address it at all. Some believe that the world`s population will stabilize and stop growing by 2020 (Elsis). This will give us a stable population with no growth. Nevertheless, we are already using more water that nature is replenishing. A stable population will not solve our problem only a smaller one.
Bartolino, J. R. and W.L. Cunningham "Ground-Water Depletion Across the Nation",USGS Fact Sheet-103-03, Nov., 2003, Web, 4 Oct., 2009. Brown, Lester R., "World Creating Food Bubble Economy Based on Unsustainable Use of Water". Earth Policy Institute. 13 March, 2003, Web, 4, Oct., 2009. Cole, Carol L. "Development of 50-year State Water Plan Discussed" The Norman Transcript , 19 July, 2007, Web, 4 Oct., 2009. Elsis, Mark R. "WE HAVE PASSED OUR SUSTAINABILITY", Dear Citizen of Earth, 1 May, 2000, Web, 23 Oct., 2009 Hinrichsen, Don, Bryant Robey, and Ushma D. Upadhyay. "Solutions for Water-Short World". Population Reports. Volume 26,1 (1998) , Web, 28 Sept., 2009. Martin, Kate. "Clean Water Goal `On Course To Fail`". Web 4 Water, 28 Jan. 2008. Web. 25 Oct, 2009. Russell, Bin. "Water Will Be Source of War Unless World Acts Now, Warns Minister", The Independent. 22 March, 2008. Web. 25 Oct. 2009 "The Most IMPORTANT Video You`ll Ever See", Dr Albert A Bartlett, You Tube, University of Colorado, 2002, Web. UN The Millennium Development Goals Report New York DESA July 2009 United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs. Web. 4 Oct., 2009 UNFPA. Global Population and Water: Access and Sustainability. New York: UNFPA, 2003. United Nations Population Fund. Web. 28 Sept., 2009. University Of Michigan, "Human Appropriation of the World`s Fresh Water Supply", 1 Jan 2006, Web, 29 Sep 2009. Williams, Tracey. "Mexico City braces for water rationing", Los Angeles Times,29 Jan. 2009, Web, 25 Oct, 2009 Bruce R. O`Banion copyright 2009 |
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| English 102 OSU, OK (2009) | ||