Water use is one resource concern that is undoubtedly associated with overpopulation. Human demand for safe water is growing, yet the actual water itself is not. In order to survive, all forms of life must have water. However, unlike other forms of life, humans use water for other purposes above and beyond survival. For example, “humans use water for cleaning, waste disposal, agriculture, manufacturing, and even playing” (The Pennsylvania State University, 2015). The longer humans continue on this path, the risk of its depletion increases. “There is enough freshwater on the planet for seven billion people but it is distributed unevenly and too much of it is wasted, polluted and unsustainably managed” (Scarcity, Decade, Water for Life, 2015).
Water scarcity is defined “as the point at which the aggregate impact of all users on the supply or quality of water under prevailing institutional arrangements to the extent that the demand by all sectors, including the environment, cannot be satisfied fully” (Scarcity, Decade, Water for Life, 2015). Every continent is affected by water scarcity, some more so than others. According to the United Nations, “approximately 1.2 billion people live in areas of physical scarcity” (Scarcity, Decade, Water for Life, 2015). To assess the scarcity of water, hydrologists, those who “apply scientific knowledge and mathematical principles to solve water-related problems in society: problems or quantity, quality and availability” look at the population-water equation (Perlman, 2014). “When annual water supplies drop below 1,700 m3 per person, that particular area is experiencing water stress” (Scarcity, Decade, Water for Life, 2015). “If the annual water supplies drop below 1,000 m3 per person, the population faces water scarcity, and below 500 cubic meters absolute scarcity” (Scarcity, Decade, Water for Life, 2015).
As a result of water scarcity, many initiatives have been implemented to assist. For example, The Water Project, a non-profit organization, “works to provide access to clean water to people in developing nations who suffer needlessly without it” (Give Water – The Water Project, n.d.). The World Wildlife Fund is also helping by “promoting water stewardship,” as they call it (Krchnak, n.d.). Specifically, they work on initiatives at the global level to “establish an international water stewardship standard through Alliance for Water Stewardship” (Krchnak, n.d.) Additionally, the World Wildlife Fund also conducts initiatives on a local level that “measures water use and river basin impacts and demonstrate solutions for reducing [those] impacts” (Krchnak, n.d.).
From a psychological stand point, changing people’s beliefs and behaviors regarding water use is another strategy than can be used to tackle water scarcity. Unlike using the strategies discussed above or even engineering strategies such as water treatment and desalination, changing how people feel or behave towards water can be very effective if implemented the right way. The example that was provided in Lesson 4 was regarding the excess use of bottled water. This is an excellent example, especially considering “more than half of all Americans drink bottles water” (Olson, 2013). There are the countless advertisements that state that bottled water is better regulated, purer, or safer than say, tap water, but they are unfounded. Therefore, just as Lesson 4 suggests, perhaps changing a person’s beliefs about tap water, might be a good place to start, as a psychological strategy to tackle water scarcity. If more people believe that tap water is just as “regulated, pure, or safe” as bottled water is, than they might stop buying bottled water and thus help out the environment.
There is no denying that most people who have access to water take it for granted. We waste it; we pay an exorbitant amount for it in bottles, etc. However, there are many other people who do not have the access to safe water like we do. Whether you live in the U.S. or in Africa, water is still the foundation of life and is a must to survive. Engineering strategies to tackle water scarcity are good, but psychological strategies might be better. If we can change people’s beliefs, it is quite possible we would tackle the problem. Even if we start with bottled water, which is a good place to start, it “would in turn reduce water use generally and would additional consequences for pollution, oil depletion, and environmental harm” (The Pennsylvania State University, 2015).
Works Cited
Give Water – The Water Project. (n.d.). Retrieved February 8, 2015, from http://thewaterproject.org/
Krchnak, K. (n.d.). Water Scarcity. Retrieved February 8, 2015, from http://www.worldwildlife.org/threats/water-scarcity
Olson, E. (2013, July 15). Bottled Water. Retrieved February 8, 2015, from http://www.nrdc.org/water/drinking/bw/exesum.asp
Perlman, H. (2014, May 30). What is hydrology and what do hydrologists do? Retrieved February 8, 2015, from http://water.usgs.gov/edu/hydrology.html
Scarcity, Decade, Water for Life (2015). UN-Water, United Nations, MDG, water, sanitation, financing, gender, IWRM, Human right, transboundary, cities, quality, food security. (n.d.). Retrieved February 8, 2015, from http://www.un.org/waterforlifedecade/scarcity.shtml
The Pennsylvania State University (2015). PSYCH 424: Applied Social Psychology. Lesson 4: The Environment.