Global Water Crisis: Freshwater Shortages and the Future

Introduction

There is an abundance of water on the planet, and the melting of ice continues to contribute even more water to the oceans through sea level rise. However, ocean water cannot sustain life for most of the world's population, making freshwater critically important. Although water is the most abundant chemical compound in the universe, the freshwater cycles that support life on Earth have been rapidly changing. Some researchers predict that a full-blown water crisis is imminent, one that will be followed by a range of problems resulting from the lack of available freshwater. This challenge does not affect only populations in the developing world; there are examples in the First World as well, where marginalized communities have struggled to afford clean drinking water — notably in Detroit and Flint in the United States.

This analysis provides a background on the looming water crisis and attempts to make several broad predictions about how the availability of freshwater might affect the inhabitants of planet Earth in the near future.

Background on Water

Water is the molecule that sustains life more than any other. When scientists search for life in the universe, the first requisite is typically the presence of liquid water. It is water that provided the environment in which evolution could occur, and the more we learn about how Earth acquired and retained its water, the more it appears the situation was incredibly fortuitous (Zalasiewicz & Williams, 2014). Most of the water in the universe is not in liquid form, though it is among the most common substances. Liquid water has been present on Earth for roughly 3.8 billion years and has formed a constant cycle driven by plate tectonics, among other natural processes.

The water cycle provided the churning environment that mixed various chemical compounds believed to be the source of life, though such processes occurred over millions of years and are difficult to replicate fully. The planet exists within a "Goldilocks" zone in which these developments can take place, and few other known planets share the same characteristics. For example, as Zalasiewicz and Williams (2014) note:

"The super-Earth 55 Cancri e has a density consistent with a water envelope, but orbits so close that it is likely to be supercritical water — not quite liquid water and not quite steam, but more like the superheated steam used to decaffeinate coffee beans. Another large, hot, low-density planet, GJ 1214 b, might be a true water world, with the pressure in its thousand-kilometre ocean depths transforming the hot water into hot ice. Neither scenario seems quite suitable for life as we know it."

As humans, we are so accustomed to water that we are predisposed to taking it for granted. We are born in water, most of our bodies are composed of water, and water surrounds us throughout our lives. Yet, despite the preciousness of this substance in its life-supporting role, the final billion years of Earth's oceans are off to a troubled start, with overfishing, choking plastic debris, and the rapidly looming threats of global warming and acidification (Zalasiewicz & Williams, 2014).

The Planet's Water Problems

There are essentially two forms of freshwater on the planet: surface water, found in a variety of forms, and groundwater. Humans have strongly impacted both sources through their interaction with the water cycle — affecting not only the water that flows on the surface, but also the water stored underground (Doll et al., 2012). It is estimated that groundwater contributes approximately 42%, 36%, and 27% of water used for irrigation, households, and manufacturing, respectively, while most people assume that only surface water is used for livestock and the cooling of thermal power plants (Doll et al., 2012). Through the manipulation of water flows and underground reserves, humanity's impact on the water cycle is far greater than most realize, and this impact will have a detrimental effect on many populations.

Multiple studies have found that many groundwater reserves are being overexploited on a massive scale. Researchers have calculated the approximate volumes these reservoirs currently hold, their regeneration rates (if any, as is the case with many glacier-fed reserves), and how much water is being extracted over a given period. By assessing the mathematical relationship between the groundwater footprint and comparing these figures to ecological footprints and previous water stress indicators, scientists can develop increasingly refined estimates of depletion rates (Gleeson, Wada, Bierkens, & van Beek, 2012). Although the calculations are complex and can carry high margins of error, the methodology has become more sophisticated and more accurate over time.

It is not only freshwater that humans are degrading. Some researchers have called ocean acidification the "evil twin" of climate change, since the climate change phenomenon is essentially dumping excess carbon dioxide into the oceans through the carbon cycle (Craig, 2015). As a result of this trend, the pH level of ocean water is dropping, producing a range of negative impacts on the largest bodies of water on the planet. Although the freshwater crisis has the potential to affect billions of humans, ocean acidification could be the cause of a mass extinction event that cripples current levels of biodiversity — which, in turn, affects all creatures on land as well (Craig, 2015).

Conclusion

Many of the ethical arguments currently in place consider the rights of future generations. However, many of the consequences of the way we interact with our environment are already producing toxic conditions for people here and now. There is a layer of complexity in all of the environmental problems that humanity faces, and it is clear that previous environmental models and paradigms are falling far short of meeting the needs of populations around the globe — especially in the Global South.

If we are to meet the challenges of a sustainable future, new ways of viewing business and consumption must be developed and employed with the utmost urgency. The water crisis is merely one piece of a larger set of challenges; ocean acidification and climate change may ultimately be more important to long-term sustainability, even though their effects manifest more slowly than present water shortages illustrate. There are, however, signs of hope. The increased availability of information and the technologies already in existence can help mitigate the detrimental effects that humans are inflicting on the environment — if they are deployed immediately and with the sense of urgency these issues deserve.

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