Wonder

Earth's Clean Water Supply

Delivered August 29, 2019. Contributor: Kiersten M.

Goals

To understand what is happening to the current supply of clean water on earth.

Early Findings

STATUS OF CLEAN WATER ON EARTHThe amount of clean water on earth "has remained fairly constant over time—continually recycled through the atmosphere and back into our cups".
 Despite the fact that over 70 percent of the earth's surface is covered in water, only 2.5 percent of that number is "fresh" water, with the rest being saline- and ocean-based.
Further, an additional 1.5 percent of that water is inaccessible, meaning that only one person of the earth's total water sources are accessible, fresh water. 
While water scarcity is a continuing and growing problem throughout the world, non-profit groups and charities have been working to combat its effects. "Through their efforts, the number of people drinking from ponds, rivers, swamps, and contaminated springs has fallen from approximately 16.5 percent of the global population to just 8 percent [1], impacting almost 500 million people."
CAUSES OF WATER SCARCITY The primary causes of water scarcity are population growth, urbanization, competition, climate, and war. Ultimately, water scarcity throughout the world is a result of a combination of these factors. 
In addition to these causes, water scarcity is also partly due to inefficient use of water resources. Specifically, "water use has grown at more than twice the rate of population increase in the last century". This means that humans are using more water than we need, contributing to water scarcity for parts of the population. 
While the amount of fresh water on earth has remained constant over time, the population has grown exponentially, resulting in the need for more clean water than has been necessary in the past. 
In addition, climate change has also contributed significantly to water scarcity. Specifically, "climate change has disrupted the Earth’s hydrological cycle (water cycle), changing when, where, and how much precipitation falls. That has made water management planning far more challenging".
EFFECTS OF WATER SCARCITYCurrently, 844 million people are living without access to clean water. 
This number is expected to grow to about 1.8 billion people by 2025, accounting for roughly half of the global population.
In areas experiencing water scarcity, the rates of disease and poverty are higher as well. 
"Together, unsafe water and the inaccessibility of basic sanitation are leading contributors to extreme poverty."
Even for those who do have access to safe, clean water, there are barriers to accessing it. Specifically, "262 million [people] are drinking what’s classified as safe water, but they are traveling over 30 minutes to fetch it".

Proposed next steps:

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In our early research of this subject, we were able to identify five specific factors contributing to water scarcity: population growth, urbanization, competition, climate, and war. We would recommend continuing this research by providing a detailed analysis of each of these, including how they specifically contribute to water scarcity throughout the world, any specific data or statistics concerning their impact, how they can be/are being combatted, and any other available details or data, both quantitative and qualitative.

We would additionally recommend a report providing an overview of water scarcity, what it is, its current impact, and its projected impact over the next 5-10 years. This should include information and details about regions without access to clean/fresh water, the impact of this scarcity (such as disease), and what is currently being done to combat water scarcity.

Finally, we would recommend continued research to identify 3-5 groups, charities, or organizations that are working to combat water scarcity throughout the world, including names, websites, and contact information for each, as well as details of how and where they are working to combat the effects of water scarcity.