WATER
In terms of resource availability, there is another matter that potentially may become a greater constraint than energy, and that is water. No agricultural production, forest resource or animal survival is feasible without freshwater.
Shortage of water resources became a popular topic of discussion with the convening of the World Water Forum in 1997. Unfamiliar terms such as "water stress" and "water scarcity" were popularized in the process. "Water stress" refers to a situation where the value obtained by dividing precipitation/rain water runoff by the population of the region is less than 1,700m3. "Water scarcity" refers to a situation where this value is less than 1,000m3. The basic concepts for indicating water shortage are inseparably linked to the population issue whereby an increase in population results in an increase in the amount of water needed by that population. Freshwater resources, although renewable, are quite limited and defined by the hydrological cycle and we are depleting groundwater supplies at rates that cannot be sustainably maintained.
Humanity is said to be already using more than half of the planet's available water resources. Some modern technology such as water harvesting and desalination, as well as farming methods that conserve water, are being introduced in areas already affected by a water crisis. However, many of these new technologies require a large initial investment and high operating costs hence it is becoming increasingly difficult to continue using water at the low cost that is known at present. As a result, attaining economic growth on a sustainable basis is predicted to become very difficult in the future due to the severe constraints that are being placed on the fundamental conditions supporting economic growth such as water for food and goods production.
As the volume of water that can be used on a sustainable basis has not changed over time, the volume of freshwater available to each person will decrease with an increase in population. Therefore, as the population continues to increase there will be less and less freshwater available per person, not to mention the threat to plants and animals that also rely on fresh water for survival.
Water and Health
Water and health are intrinsically linked and it is speculated that more than 5 million lives are lost each year due to water-related illnesses including waterborne infectious diseases. This figure is more than twice as large as the number of deaths caused by AIDS, proving that water's relationship to public health is a major global issue.
Uganda, 2007
Water and Food Production
Importing food means "importing water"
Japan is a huge importer of food. When calculated in terms of calories, 70% of food ingested by the people in Japan is imported from overseas. In other words, our lives are highly dependent on food imports. Water resources are indispensable for food production, for example, on average, 1,000 tons of water is needed to produce 1 ton of wheat. Since 7kg of grains are needed on average to produce 1kg of beef, 7 tons of water is used to produce just 1kg of beef that we consume. Therefore, although Japan has an adequate domestic supply of fresh water, a global water shortage will directly threaten people's lives in Japan by driving up the costs and availability of food imports which rely on water for production.
Aral Sea (Left: 1974, Right 2001)
The Aral Sea in Central Asia is experiencing contraction due to a reduced influx from rivers Amu Darya and Syr Darya which is caused by withdrawal of water for irrigated agriculture as well as the salinisation of groundwater from cotton farming. This giant lake, once the fourth largest in the world, is predicted to disappear by 2015. Depletion of water resources, a result of the increase in population and the accompanying environmental destruction, as symbolized by the Aral Sea, is occurring throughout the world.
Uganda, 2007
Uganda, 2007