Global Water Crisis |
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The Issue Water covers about two-thirds of the Earth's surface. Only 2.5% of the world's water is not salty, and two thirds of that is locked up in the ice caps and glaciers. Of what is left, about 20% is in remote areas. With less than 0.08% of all the Earth's freshwater available to humans, a worldwide crisis over water is brewing. According to the United Nations, 31 countries are now facing water scarcity and one billion people lack access to clean drinking water. Water consumption is doubling every 20 years. At the same time, water sources are rapidly being polluted, depleted, diverted and exploited by corporate interests ranging from industrial agriculture and manufacturing to electricity production and mining. By 2025, it is estimated that two-thirds of the world's population will suffer from lack of clean and safe drinking water. Fortune magazine has predicted that "water is the oil of the 21st century" and corporations are rushing to invest in the water business. Giant water, energy, food and shipping companies have plans to buy water rights, privatize publicly owned water systems, promote bottled water and sell "bulk" water by transporting it from water-rich areas to markets desperate for more water. At the same time, to ensure maximum profits these companies are lobbying to weaken water quality standards and pushing for trade agreements that hand over the U.S. water resources to foreign corporations. Here in the United States, where some regions are already suffering from serious water shortages, corporations are poised to make a profit on water. Selling bottled water is one of the most successful revenue-generating ventures for private corporations. As drinking water has been degraded and people have lost faith in their municipal water treatment facilities, the bottled water industry is promoting its expensive product as the solution. With one fifth of the world's freshwater supply, the Great Lakes have become a key region in this important debate over ownership and appropriate use of water. Lack of effective laws in Michigan allows large users to treat the Great Lakes like private wells, drawing off unlimited quantities of water without regard for the ways this will impact nearby waterways or other users. In December 2005, a 20 billion dollar, 15-year plan was approved to upgrade antiquated municipal sewer systems, restore 500,000 acres of wetlands, clean polluted harbors and bays and fund other efforts. The missing ingredient at this point is the money to enact it. IHMs in Action If you don't have Adobe Reader, you can download the latest version here.
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