Water Shortages and Their Impact on the Global Community by Alyssa Stagliano

Water Shortages and Their Impact on the Global Community

Alyssa Stagliano

For those of us who live in upstate New York, water shortages are not a major area of concern in our everyday lives.  However, spontaneous situations such as the current case in Flint, Michigan prove that it is essential to be prepared for such a disaster no matter where you live.  Across the globe, about two-thirds of the world’s population struggles through severe water shortages for at least one month each year.  This is an extremely significant amount of people.  Also, it is important to note that water shortages lead to even greater problems such as crop failure, which can snowball into an increase in food prices and even widespread famine.  Yet, what exactly defines a water shortage?  Researchers agree that this problem occurs when the farms, industries, and individual homes in a certain area use double the amount of water that is available for their particular society.  Thus, water scarcity is a very human problem—it is caused by us and it directly effects us.  Thinking of it this way might make people more conscious of the fact that we, as humans, have the power to solve this issue if we change our behaviors.  For humans, water scarcity can mean anything from shortages in water availability for showering and washing dishes, to more dramatic issues such as a lack of drinking water in poor countries.  What is truly sobering is the fact that half of the people who experience this problem live in China or India.  In countries such as these, water shortages could be devastating, as their populations of poor citizens are higher.  Additionally, water shortages have a negative impact on the world’s economy as a whole.  This is obvious for the countries in which the shortage is taking place, but it is also important to realize that any country that purchases food from the affected areas will also be involved economically.  I think that education is key to solving this problem, and it is especially important for us to understand that water shortages create problems that extend far and wide.  The impact is immense.

While thinking of water shortages as a human concern may be essential to raising awareness, I also think it is important to note that the environmental affects of water scarcity are just as profound.  When we use too much water, there is a decrease in levels of groundwater, lakes, rivers, and reservoirs.  This can negatively impact an entire ecosystem.  For example, as the wetlands disappear, animal species begin to dwindle, and the system loses its stability when not all factors are in check.  This speaks to the idea of positive and negative feedback that we talked about in class.  A decrease in water supply would be an example of positive feedback, since it would push a system down a path of continuous decline.  Although this issue might not directly impact our everyday lives, I think it is important that we recognize its existence because exploitation of a water supply has a major influence on the global community.

Sources:

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/13/science/two-thirds-of-the-world-faces-severe-water-shortages.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fscience&action=click&contentCollection=science&region=stream&module=stream_unit&version=search&contentPlacement=1&pgtype=sectionfront

http://news.yale.edu/sites/default/files/ydb-images/8775-60136278.jpg

http://www.worldwildlife.org/threats/water-scarcity