Where is the World's Fresh Water?
We know that the earth is mostly water, we can see this in the massive oceans surrounding our lands. That water however, is not usable for almost all human en devours and life on the planet. When we talk about water rights and consumption for this presentation, we are talking about fresh water, which accounts for only 3% of the water on earth.
"Approximately 97.5% of all water is either salt water or water that has become polluted. Of the remaining 2.5%, nearly 70% is frozen in glaciers and the polar ice caps. Less than 0.01% of all water worldwide is available for human use in lakes, rivers, reservoirs, and easily accessible aquifers.” (Levy & Sidel, 2010). While the numbers in the picture vary slightly from the numbers in the quote, the evidence is there as to how little fresh water is accessible to the human race.
Climate change is also effecting what fresh water sources we have on earth. With the rising global temperatures, the glaciers and snow packs are melting and the sea level is rising. However, the run off from the glaciers is not filling lakes and rivers that it should. The swift moving run off of the snow pack is creating erosion, spreading desert area and evaporating before it even hits the lakes and rivers (Barlow, 2007). The melt off from the glaciers is immediately being consumed by the sea. The rising sea levels also destroy wetlands and consume fresh ground water as it is overtaken (Barlow, 2007).
"Approximately 97.5% of all water is either salt water or water that has become polluted. Of the remaining 2.5%, nearly 70% is frozen in glaciers and the polar ice caps. Less than 0.01% of all water worldwide is available for human use in lakes, rivers, reservoirs, and easily accessible aquifers.” (Levy & Sidel, 2010). While the numbers in the picture vary slightly from the numbers in the quote, the evidence is there as to how little fresh water is accessible to the human race.
Climate change is also effecting what fresh water sources we have on earth. With the rising global temperatures, the glaciers and snow packs are melting and the sea level is rising. However, the run off from the glaciers is not filling lakes and rivers that it should. The swift moving run off of the snow pack is creating erosion, spreading desert area and evaporating before it even hits the lakes and rivers (Barlow, 2007). The melt off from the glaciers is immediately being consumed by the sea. The rising sea levels also destroy wetlands and consume fresh ground water as it is overtaken (Barlow, 2007).