What If We Run Out of Water?
Summary:
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| Above is an image of a faucet with the water on. Simple ways like turning the faucet off while brushing your teeth can save a lot of water, even if it doesn't affect you. |
If you think
about it, water is such a mystery to us, yet we use it so much in our daily
routine of life. We never know when the world will run out of water, or when
there is not enough water to satisfy the thirsty human population. Whenever you
shower, wash clothes, flush the toilet, drink a cup of lemonade, or wash your
hands, you are using water from the Earth. 70% of the earth is covered in
water, so how is it possible that we would ever run out? Only a small portion
of that 70% is fresh water. A lot of the fresh water we cannot access is inside
glaciers. One out of six people in the world cannot access clean and fresh
water, and at least 40% of homes need to walk to get water, or do not have an
abundant supply. The United States alone uses about 410 billion gallons of
water a day.
Opinion/Reflection:
By pushing a
button, it is that simple to get a fresh glass of water. But what will happen
in one hundred years or a thousand years from today? Will there be enough water
for the human population? We all know that the human population is increasing
but we do not know when it will level off [even though scientists have many
theories when it will]. If the population continues to increase without
leveling off, all of these people will be thirsty, and that is a lot of water
to be using. It is important that we do not take water for granted. Yes, there
are machines that can clean ocean water, but that takes a lot of energy and
time. By doing the smallest things like turning the water off while brushing
your teeth, using a bucket of water to wash your car instead of a running hose,
or taking shorter showers, we can conserve the earth’s fresh water. Personally,
I always try to cut back the amount of water I use each day. It concerns me
that our country uses 410 billion gallons of water each day…I can’t even
imagine what the whole world uses a day! I’m not saying we have to stop using
water, but if the whole world cut back by ¼ (or even smaller) of the water they
use, that is a whole lot the world can be saving. We can’t be selfish and use
all of the water ourselves. We need to think about the future generations who
will live on the earth years from today; they need to have a fresh water supply
just as much as we do. If we were to run out of water, we would not be able to live because every single thing we do requires water.
Questions:
1. In your opinion, how do you feel about the world’s
water supply?
2. Do you
think that the government can do something to control the amount of water we
use each day? Explain.
3. Consider a
dry continent like Africa; do you think there is any chance their water supply
could increase? If so why, if not, why?
4. How much
water does the average person use each day in the United States?
5. Why is it so important that we conserve water today to preserve it for the future?
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ReplyDeleteNice picture; it goes along with your summary. I agree that water is a part of our daily lives. I cannot believe only a small portion, of the 70% of water on Earth is fresh. A lot of fresh water is inside glaciers, but unfortunately we cannot access it. We should not take water for granted because there are people around the globe who are dying of thirst or have to walk for miles to obtain it. I wonder if we will have enough water supply, to satisfy our increasing population which is approximately about seven billion. It is a horrifying topic to think about. I personally am trying to use less water every day. By simply turning off the faucet, when not necessary can make a big difference. I cannot believe the United Sates alone uses about four hundred and ten million gallons of water per day. Imagine, how much water we use in a year? In environmental science class, we should discuss ways water can be conserved in school and keep track of how many times we use water.
ReplyDeleteTo answer one of your questions:
I found a blog that estimates personal water use per day.
How Much Water Do I Use?
http://www.winterportmaine.org/waterleaks.htm
The average person uses a total of about 40-80 gallons per day. That is a lot! However, results can vary based on where you live, if you can cook, etc. For cooking, a typical person may use 1-2 gallons of water per day and for washing dishes they may use 5-10 gallons per day. For bathing, the average person might use 15-25 gallons of water per day. Depending on how many times you go to the bathroom, the average person uses 5-15 gallons to just flush and 3-5 gallons at the sink. For washing clothes, a standard person uses about 10-20 gallons of water per day. 1-3 gallons per day is used for other activities involving water. Ultimately every living thing on earth depends on water to survive. Water is part of our lives and without it, we would all perish away forever. These estimates are important so they can make people realize they should not waste or overuse this important natural resource.
Great article Candyce! I have often wondered about this subject. Just thought about it for hours on end. It's really quite a scary thing to think about. I like to think that I ration my water use well, but the honest truth is that I don't. I need to save more water by taking shorter showers, turning the water off when I brush my teeth, and by doing other simple things. If the U.S. Alone uses around 410 billion gallons a day, how many gallons of available freshwater is there? I understand that it is impossible to answer this question, but I wonder! How much does 410 billion gallons affect the total amount? It sure sounds like an awful lot, but I do not know. I am glad we are learning about water in class. It is interesting to find out specifics about the molecule we use so dearly, but care so little about.
ReplyDeleteTo answer question five:
It is important to conserve water because future generations, and the entire human population depend on it. We may not ever see a total lack of water in our generation, however it is imminent that someday we will run out. Even today, there are people who do not have access to enough water. Meanwhile, here in America we overuse it. It is so simple to save water for others, so why don't we do it? You're right, Candyce, we need to get moving. My goal is to separate today, and the day we lose all of our water resources by as much as possible.