Water Stress: A Global Problem That’s Getting Worse

JP+ English

21 May 202104:09

Summary

TLDRThe script addresses the critical issue of global water scarcity despite Earth's abundant water resources. It highlights that 97.5% of Earth's water is undrinkable sea water, while fresh water is under pressure due to rising populations and temperatures. Companies like Coca-Cola, Pepsi, and Nestle contribute to pollution, exacerbating the crisis. UNICEF reports over 1.42 billion people, including 450 million children, face high water vulnerability, with regions like Eastern and Southern Africa and South Asia severely affected. Latin America, despite its rainfall, struggles with contaminated water, affecting countries like Guatemala, Honduras, and Peru. The script emphasizes the importance of clean, accessible fresh water and the challenges many face in securing it.

Takeaways

💧 Water is essential for life, used for hydration, cleaning, and cooling processes.
🌍 Despite 70% of Earth's surface being water, freshwater resources are limited to 2.5% and are under pressure due to rising populations and temperatures.
🚰 97.5% of the Earth's water is saltwater, which is unfit for human consumption.
🏭 Some major companies, like Coca-Cola, Pepsi, and Nestle, contribute significantly to water pollution.
🌿 A report identified these companies as major polluters after cleaning events across 42 countries and six continents.
🌊 Over 187,000 pieces of plastic garbage were collected, highlighting the extent of single-use plastic pollution in water bodies.
🚿 UNICEF reports that over 1.42 billion people, including 450 million children, live in areas with high or extremely high water vulnerability.
🌍 Eastern and Southern Africa, and South Asia, face significant challenges in providing sufficient freshwater daily.
🇮🇳 India has the highest number of children facing water vulnerability, with nearly 112 million affected.
🌎 Latin America, despite its abundance of rivers and lakes, suffers from a water crisis due to contamination.
🇬🇹 Guatemala, Honduras, and Peru struggle with a lack of clean water, with high levels of contamination and harmful toxins in their water supplies.
🇲🇽 Mexico is facing a water crisis due to low rainfall, which has depleted aquifers and reservoirs.

Q & A

What is the significance of water for living organisms?
-Water is essential for sustaining life, used for hydration, washing, cooling, maintaining greenery, agricultural irrigation, and cooling nuclear reactors.
Why is water shortage a concern despite 70% of the Earth's surface being covered by water?
-97.5% of the Earth's water is saltwater, which is unfit for human consumption, and the remaining freshwater is under pressure due to rising populations and temperatures.
Which companies are identified as major polluters of water bodies?
-Coca-Cola, Pepsi, and Nestlé are identified as major polluters of water bodies, contributing to plastic pollution in seas and rivers.
How does the 'Break Free From Plastic' movement's report highlight the extent of plastic pollution?
-The report details that after over 200 cleanups at brand outlets in 42 countries, more than 187,000 pieces of plastic garbage were collected, identifying numerous brands that use single-use plastic packaging.
What does the UNICEF report say about water vulnerability?
-The UNICEF report states that over 1.42 billion people, including 450 million children, live in areas with high or extremely high water vulnerability.
Which regions have the highest number of children facing difficulty accessing sufficient water daily?
-Eastern and Southern Africa have 58% of children, over 135 million, and South Asia has the greatest number of children, 155 million, facing difficulty accessing sufficient water daily.
Which countries have the highest number and percentage of children facing high or extremely high water vulnerability?
-India has the highest number with nearly 112 million children, followed by Ethiopia with almost 41 million. Afghanistan has the highest percentage with 93%.
Why is Latin America facing a water crisis despite having large rivers and lakes?
-Most of the water in Latin America is contaminated and not fit to drink, with countries like Guatemala, Honduras, and Peru suffering the most from a lack of clean water.
What is the current water situation in Mexico City?
-Mexico City is facing a water crisis due to unusually low rainfall, which has depleted aquifers and reservoirs, with reservoirs in the Cutzamala system at 49% capacity, significantly below average.
How could climate change affect water availability in Mexico City by 2050?
-Researchers estimate that natural water availability for Mexico City could fall by 10 to 17% by 2050 due to rising temperatures, exacerbating the existing intermittent supply issues.
Where is most of the world's freshwater located, and how does this affect global water distribution?
-Half of the world's freshwater is found in only six countries, which affects global water distribution and highlights the inequity in access to safe, clean water for over a billion people.

Outlines

00:00

💧 Importance of Water for Life

Water is essential for sustaining life on Earth. Humans and all living things rely on it for hydration, cooling, and sanitation. Water plays a crucial role in keeping ecosystems alive and even in technical applications like cooling nuclear reactors. Despite its abundance, with 70% of the Earth's surface covered in water, there is a potential for a water shortage, as most of it is saltwater and not suitable for human consumption.

🌊 Fresh Water Under Pressure

Only 2.5% of the Earth's water is freshwater, and it's under increasing pressure due to rising populations and temperatures. Many major companies, including Coca-Cola, Pepsi, and Nestlé, are contributing to water pollution. A study by the Break Free from Plastic Movement identified these companies as top polluters across 42 countries. Over 187,000 pieces of plastic waste were collected, showing the extensive pollution caused by single-use plastics.

🚰 Water Vulnerability Across the Globe

UNICEF reports that over 1.42 billion people, including 450 million children, live in areas with high or extreme water vulnerability. In regions like eastern and southern Africa, more than 135 million children are affected. South Asia also faces severe water access challenges, with India having the highest number of children (112 million) struggling to get sufficient water. Ethiopia and Afghanistan are also severely impacted, with Afghanistan having the highest percentage of affected children at 93%.

🌍 Latin America's Water Crisis

Latin America, home to some of the world's largest rivers and lakes, still faces a severe water crisis. Despite receiving abundant rainfall, many of its water resources are contaminated. Countries like Guatemala, Honduras, and Peru suffer the most from a lack of clean drinking water. In Guatemala, 90% of the water is contaminated, while Honduras and Peru also have severely polluted water, with Peru's being contaminated with metals and toxins, possibly due to local mining activities.

💧 Water Crisis in Mexico

Mexico is currently experiencing a significant water crisis due to low rainfall, especially around Mexico City. The reservoirs and aquifers are severely depleted, with the capital's water supply reservoirs at only 49% capacity. Climate change is expected to worsen this situation, with natural water availability potentially dropping by 10-17% by 2050. Millions already experience intermittent water supply, and the situation is likely to deteriorate.

🌐 The Global Water Challenge

Although Earth may never run out of water, clean freshwater is not always available where and when it’s needed. Half of the world's freshwater is found in just six countries, leaving more than a billion people without access to safe, clean water. This highlights the global inequality in water distribution and the challenges faced by many regions in securing reliable access to this vital resource.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Water Scarcity

Water scarcity refers to the lack of sufficient available water resources to meet the demands of human activities and ecosystems. In the context of the video, it is a critical issue because, despite the Earth's surface being 70% water, only a small fraction of it is fresh and accessible for human use. The video highlights how rising populations and temperatures exacerbate this scarcity, making it a pressing global concern.

💡Sea Water

Sea water, or saltwater, is water from seas and oceans. It is characterized by its high salt content, making it unfit for human consumption without desalination. The video script mentions that 97.5% of Earth's water is sea water, emphasizing the limited availability of fresh water for human use.

💡Fresh Water

Fresh water is water with low concentrations of salts and other minerals, making it suitable for drinking and supporting terrestrial life. The video underscores the importance of fresh water by discussing how it is under severe pressure due to increasing demand and pollution, affecting both human populations and the environment.

💡Pollution

Pollution refers to the presence of harmful substances or contaminants in the environment, often caused by human activities. In the video, pollution is highlighted as a significant factor contributing to water scarcity, with companies like Coca-Cola, Pepsi, and Nestle being identified as major polluters of water bodies.

💡Single-Use Plastic

Single-use plastic refers to plastic products designed to be used only once before they are thrown away, contributing to environmental pollution. The video mentions a report identifying thousands of brands that use single-use plastic packaging, which pollutes oceans and rivers, exacerbating water scarcity issues.

💡Water Vulnerability

Water vulnerability is the susceptibility of a region or population to the impacts of water scarcity or water-related risks. The video discusses how more than 1.42 billion people, including 450 million children, live in areas with high or extremely high water vulnerability, emphasizing the severity of the issue in certain regions.

💡Eastern and Southern Africa

Eastern and Southern Africa are regions mentioned in the video as facing significant water challenges. The script notes that 58% of children in these areas, or more than 135 million, face difficulty accessing sufficient water daily, illustrating the regional disparities in water availability.

💡South Asia

South Asia is a region highlighted in the video as having the greatest number of children facing difficulty accessing sufficient water daily, with 155 million children affected. This underscores the scale of the water crisis in this densely populated area.

💡India

India is specifically called out in the video as having the highest number of children facing high or extremely high water vulnerability, with nearly 112 million affected. This example from the script illustrates the severity of the water crisis in one of the world's most populous countries.

💡Latin America

Despite being home to some of the world's largest rivers and lakes, Latin America is also suffering from a water crisis, as mentioned in the video. The region's water is often contaminated and not fit to drink, affecting countries like Guatemala, Honduras, and Peru, where the majority of the water is polluted with metals and harmful toxins.

💡Climate Change

Climate change is a long-term shift in global or regional climate patterns. In the video, it is discussed as a factor that could worsen water scarcity, with researchers estimating a potential decline in natural water availability for cities like Mexico City due to rising temperatures.

Highlights

Water is essential for all living things, used for hydration, washing, and cooling.

70% of Earth's surface is water, but 97.5% is sea water, unfit for human consumption.

Rising populations and temperatures put severe pressure on available fresh water resources.

Some companies, like Coca-Cola, Pepsi, and Nestle, contribute significantly to water pollution.

Over 187,000 pieces of plastic garbage were found in cleanings identifying major polluters.

More than 1.42 billion people live in areas with high or extremely high water vulnerability.

Eastern and Southern Africa, along with South Asia, face significant challenges in accessing sufficient water.

India has the highest number of children facing high water vulnerability, nearly 112 million.

Afghanistan has the highest percentage of water vulnerability at 93%.

Latin America, despite its large rivers and lakes, suffers from contaminated water.

Guatemala, Honduras, and Peru struggle with a lack of clean water, with contamination rates as high as 90%.

Mexico is facing a water crisis due to unusually low rainfall, depleting aquifers and reservoirs.

Climate change could reduce natural water availability in Mexico City by 10 to 17% by 2050.

Half of the world's fresh water is found in only six countries.

Over a billion people live without enough safe, clean water.