Planetary ResourcesWater

“Water is about quantity, quality, space and time. Whether you have a big problem or not depends entirely on where you live.”

Source: Ian Cluckie Professor of Hydrology and Water Management, University of Bristol

Key Questions• Nearly one billion inhabitants do not

have access to safe drinking water: why is access to this essential resource so unequal?

• How do societies use and develop their water resources?

• Why is it necessary to use water more sustainably?

97.2% Ocean & saltwater

Freshwater ResourcesFreshwater rivers and lakes

Groundwater

Ice and Snow cover in mountainous regions

30%Groundwater

70% Ice and Snow

cover

Freshwater is effectively a finite resource since only about 1% of freshwater is easily available for human use.

Water Scarcity Map

Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)

Water scarcity: supply of water per person falls below 1000m3/year. An imbalance of supply and demand. A high rate of use compared to available supply, especially if the remaining supply is difficult or costly to tap.

Water Poverty Index 2002

Are the Water Scarce and Water Poor areas in the world the same? Why or why not?

Water poverty: The condition of not having access to sufficient water, or water of an adequate quality, to meet one’s basic needs. (=economic scarcity)

Physical and Economic Water Scarcity

I. Unequal Access to WaterA. Water - an indispensable resource

which is unequally spread out– Necessary to life and irreplaceable– Various uses: • household/industrial/agricultural (17% of

farmland uses irrigation)

Global Water Use

70%Irriga-tion

20% Industry

10% Domestic Use

Source: World Water Assessment Program (WWAP)

H2O distribution• 9 countries hold 60% of freshwater reserves in the

world (Brazil, Russia, U.S.A., Canada…)• 40% of developing countries have arid land (mostly in

Africa and Asia – Sahara, Arabic Peninsula…)

Seasonal access to water• Water access is also unequally

spread out over the year– Several climate regions have dry

seasons like in Mediterranean zones (e.g. Spain) and monsoons (e.g. India)

B. Water Access in function of development levels

• Especially dependent on a society’s ability to create appropriate infrastructure and develop its territory

• Consumption is related to standard of living of populations

• A Californian uses 38X more water than a Cambodian even though water is more abundant in Cambodia

Global Water Footprint

The water footprint indicates how much is required by consumers- and in an increasingly globalised world, the footprint

of someone in a country like the UK will not be just local as so many products using water will have been produced elsewhere!

Daily Domestic Water use per capitaCountry Liters per capita per day

1. Canada 778

2. United States 616

3. Australia 605

4. Korea 552

5. Italy 483

6. Japan 373

7. Spain 342

8. Portugal 308

9. Mexico 300

10. Turkey 238

11. France 232

12. Czech Republic 213

13. Germany 151

14. Poland 149

15. India 139

16. United Kingdom 139

17. Denmark 114

18. China 95

Water Footprint• Water Footprint WebsiteBefore consulting the website, how many

liters of water do you think are needed to make the following:

1 liter beer?1 liter milk?1 kg of cotton?1 kg of cane sugar?1 kg of wheat bread?1 kg of rice?1 kg of beef?

The relation between consumption and water use

• "The interest in the water footprint is rooted in the recognition that human impacts on freshwater systems can ultimately be linked to human consumption, and that issues like water shortages and pollution can be better understood and addressed by considering production and supply chains as a whole. Water problems are often closely tied to the structure of the global economy. Many countries have significantly externalized their water footprint, importing water-intensive goods from elsewhere. This puts pressure on the water resources in the exporting regions, where too often mechanisms for wise water governance and conservation are lacking. Not only governments, but also consumers, businesses and civil society communities can play a role in achieving a better management of water resources."

• Going back to the website, compare China, Japan and the U.S. for their externalized water footprint…

Access to drinking water• Very unequal• WHO estimates that 2.4 B

inhabitants do not have access to potable water in 2013 and in 40 countries, more than 50% of the population is deprived of drinking water–Mostly countries in subsaharan Africa

and southern Asia

Water Demand• Increases with urbanization– Esp in the south

• In mostly urbanized societies– Higher level of consumption– Problems of water management and

waste management• Crucial issue in precarious areas (slums)

Conclusion• Water access an issue of– natural conditions– Economic reasons– Social reasons