My last Civic Issues Blog was all about waste. Food waste, clothing waste, or anything of the sort. For this week’s post, sort of seeming off of the issue of waste, I thought it would be important to talk about issues revolving around water. Water is essential to life on Earth. If we want life to continue on Earth, there must be adequate amounts of clean water to grow crops, nourish ourselves, and allow marine life to prosper. At first thought, this may not seem like too much of a problem, as almost 70% of Earth is covered in water, but according to the World Wildlife Federation, just 3% of that water is fresh water, and 2/3 of that 3% is unable to be used by us because it makes up glaciers or is otherwise unavailable. Because of the scarce amount of water available, around 1.1 billion people worldwide do not have a water source, as stated by the World Wildlife Federation.
Scarce water isn’t exactly a brand new issue in the world. Water pollution contributes to the scarcity of clean water as well. A United Nations report titled “Water Quality and Wastewater” from 2017 explains, “Globally, 80% of wastewater flows back into the ecosystem without being treated or reused.” With what little clean water the world has, one would assume there is a lot of regulation for what waste gets out into the environment, but from the information present in my last civic issues blog about waste and the previous statistic, it is clear that government regulation is lacking and must be better enforced.
Just over fifty years ago in 1972, the United States passed the Clean Water Act, aiming to restore polluted water to its natural state and completely prevent any more water pollution by 1985. The Food Report in CivilEats explains the Act did well to reduce water pollution from big sources like factories, but it didn’t heavily regulate “smaller” sources of water pollution like agriculture runoff. This might be one of the government biggest mistakes in regards to pollution because now, agricultural pollution significantly contributes to water pollution, and the Clean Water Act failed in achieving its goals. A report from the Environmental Integrity Project found that half of all United States streams, rivers, and lakes are “too polluted to meet standards for swimming and recreation, aquatic life, fish consumption or as drinking water sources,” as explained on the website Changing America. This statistic shows the depth of water pollution in America. On top of potential drinking water shortages and lack of edible fish (especially for pescatarians!), posterity might not even be able to enjoy recreation in lakes.
Times have changed since 1972. Technology has advanced and agriculture has become more similar to factories in regards to waste production. As times change, policies must change too. If water pollution continues to be regulated like it is now, the World Wildlife Federation states that by 2025, 2/3 of the world’s population may struggle to find clean water. This issue is pressing and more serious than many may think.
Unfortunately, waste production is a nasty cycle that feeds itself and only intensifies environmental concerns. Waste production contributes to climate change, which leads to unusual weather patterns. This leads to another reason for scarce water in some places around the world and the United States: droughts. Being from California, I have experienced first hand the droughts and weather changes in California from climate change. California saw the driest January and February it had in over one hundred years in 2022. Huge reservoirs that were once filled to the brim with water were empty for years. Regulations were set on what time to water lawns (only during the night) and recommendations on how long to shower for (and even to put a bucket in your shower to use the water waste to water lawns) became common practice.
One has to wonder how effective a singular individual’s shorter shower is and if a singular person’s efforts matter. The Environmental Protection Agency explains that one shower uses around 16 gallons of water. Generally, one person drinks around a half gallon of water a day, so one average length shower uses 32 days worth of water for one person. Just cutting down your shower time by a minute or two can save the equivalent of days worth of drinking water, while also reducing your energy use as showers require a lot of energy to operate. The EPA also explains there are shower heads available by the brand WaterSense which reduces energy and water use from showers. Switching to a more sustainable shower head such as this one is a small change that may seem insignificant, but with every shower, the amount of energy needed to power a 60-watt for 7 hours is saved!
When too many people adopt the mindset that their small actions do not have that big of an impact on the world, those actions begin to add up and it has brought the Earth to the point it is today.
Climate change is serious. Following the droughts in California, wildfires began to plague the state. Because it was so dry, wildfires spread across forests and sprung up in residential areas. They were so difficult to control because California was in a drought for so long and moisture in the land was scarce. When the fires were bad, the air quality index in areas all over California got to be over 150 (considered unhealthy for the general population) and schools would have to cancel classes because it was recommended nobody step outside. It truly looked like the end of the world outside when the smoke was bad, as one could not see five feet in front of them.
Again, issues of the environment are all interconnected and fuel one another. Water pollution and scarcity is an alarming aspect of the environmental crisis that must be addressed in order for the world to become more sustainable. Much of the world’s clean water sources are becoming contaminated and governmental regulation has yet to fully address this issue. This is where individual and community efforts can come into play. When the future of the Earth is at stake, any effort matters.
Sources: https://thehill.com/changing-america/sustainability/environment/600070-about-half-of-us-water-too-polluted-for-swimming/
https://www.unwater.org/sites/default/files/app/uploads/2018/10/WaterFacts_water_and_watewater_sep2018.pdf
https://www.worldwildlife.org/threats/water-scarcity
https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2017-02/documents/ws-ourwater-shower-better-learning-resource_0.pdf
I remember watching a short documentary about water shortages around the world, and it was shocking to see how many people have to live on such little amounts of water while it is used so generously here in the U.S. It was crazy to hear that water was actually a huge source of conflict, creating many environmental refugees as a result of climate change. I always think about how much water is used during a shower, and I can’t believe that it uses 32 days’ worth of water for just one person! I will definitely start using a more efficient showerhead at home.
I really liked your blog post, and I think this is an important topic to cover. A lot of people know conserving water is important, for example in fourth grade I remember we did a whole unit on stuff like turning the faucet off while brushing your teeth and that taking a bath uses up more water than taking a shower. I also feel like many more people got concerned about water shortages after the droughts and wildfires in California, especially if they were directly impacted by it or knew people who were. I’m looking forward to reading your next blog post!
It’s always a little shocking to remember just how little drinking water is actually accessible on Earth, despite the fact that it’s common knowledge that two thirds of the planet is covered in water. Fresh, clean water is something I definitely take for granted as someone who has lived in Pennsylvania for all my life – somewhere never afflicted by severe pollution or droughts. I’ve only seen pictures of those California wildfires, but they looked terrifying to experience. It was very interesting to hear about the legislation in the 70’s that cut down on industrial waste but failed to account for agricultural runoff, because I know that type of pollution is one of the most harmful in the modern day. I’m looking forward to seeing what topic you cover next, these posts are super insightful!