Research Report
I. Introduction:
Over consumption has become a worldwide problem that has caused a negative impact on society. According to the Environment Global Issues Regional Applications, America is considered to be the biggest contributor to the world’s global consumption problem. The main problem is that the average American has a habit of consuming more stuff than needed. The average American generates fifty-two tons of garbage by age seventy- five (consumption by the Unites States). The desire of wanting more than necessary is polluting our planet. In fact, if the rest of the Earth’s population lived like North Americans do, it would take three planets to live sustainably (Wackernagel and Rees, 13). Growth population means more consumption and waste. Over consumption is not only a problem to our society but it is harming our environment.
Our environment is affected by pollutants from industries that produce many of the products we consume. Cars are a commonly used thing that people in the United States depend on. However, industries and cars are the most frequent greenhouse gas emitters. This is a crucial situation due to the fact that greenhouse gas emissions are harmful to the environment because they contribute to global warming. The way they contribute to global warming is by trapping the heat in the atmosphere. Greenhouse gases consist of carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (NO2), and water vapor. Even though greenhouse emissions include different types of elements, carbon dioxide is the most abundant molecule that contributes to the greenhouse gas effect. Lastly, carbon dioxide is a major pollutant because it would cause the earth to heat up, the ice to melt, and the rise of sea levels that would eventually lead to unfortunate natural disasters.
Poverty in Africa affects their water resources. Poverty is related to over consumption and to the environment because people in developed countries are using more water than required, while others do not have easy access to the valuable source. According to the Children’s Water Education Council of Canada, in Africa, the average person uses 3 liters per day, as to the average American who uses up to 425 liters daily. This shows the great difference on water consumption in developing countries and stabled countries. Polluted water is a major problem towards the environment as well because it is killing many sea creatures and animals. Dirty water that contains deadly bacteria poisons the fish; the fish get eaten by the animals causing the death of many animals. Lastly, the consequences of polluted water is that it can put out to extinct mostly marine creatures as to animals as well.
II. Political and Social Connections:
People in Africa, especially children, lack fresh water and sanitation causing a big percentage of the people to die each year. The most common disease due to polluted water is cholera. People who do not have quick access to freshwater have to walk several miles in search of it. This is crucial because children in Africa drop out of school to collect water for their families. This is something to take into consideration because children cannot receive a good education.Also. when children go out to collect fresh water they are exposed to all kinds of danger. There has been cases where young Sub- Saharan African girls have been raped in their journey to bring home water. Gerrie Hugo, a South African in Sweden reported that in May 2002 the SA government said that 5,859 cases of rape of pre-school children were reported to the South African Police Services. Many estimates put the number at 7 times this figure: 41,013 with 1.5 million children estimated to be abused every year.Overall, the Africans government play a big role in this situation.
The Non Governmental Organizations believe that poor Africans suffer from the guidance of their governors. The NGOS state that the problem with the governments is that they do not recognize the legal rights of the poor. The government refused to provide water to the poor by making it an ownership. The sad reality is that the governments fail to provide clean water in Africa’s cities. The reason why the government is not successful is because they sell the few clean water they possess to slum- dwellers in exchange of profit. If the government keeps up his corruption, the Africans are going to suffer the consequences. For these reasons an egalitarian society would be best for Africa.
Poor people in Africa are struggling to stay alive, while upper class people enjoy all the commodities (water) that the poor need the most. This issue brings to mind the concepts of the opposite of egalitarian. However, what I want to see is an egalitarian society in Africa. Everyone, including the dirt poor, should have free access to the same amount of clean freshwater. Water should be seen as a human right, putting a price on water means putting a price on life. Lastly, I believe that everyone should consider egalitarian because it would reduce the amounts of deaths, in Africa and developing countries, caused by lack of clean water and sanitation.
III. Causes:
Polluted water is a major issue around the world especially in developing countries. Water may seem harmless but the lack of clean water and sanitation is killing approximately one billion people around the world. Children are the most affected, they are the ones that get infected more frequently than adults and die. In Africa, 84 percent of water related deaths are in children ages 0-14 (Africa Water Crisis). The most commonly transmitted disease is cholera. This deadly bacteria can lead to severe diarrhea problems that eventually dehydrates them causing deaths. This problem is continuing because water is becoming more costly to the people that need it the most.
Water that is distributed in developing countries is far off more expensive, which makes it even harder to access it, than developed countries. Americans water lifestyle is obviously different because water in America is close to being free. On the other hand, African citizens have to pay more money; therefore, they struggle to collect clean water because they do not have the means of getting clean water as easily. Also, the installations of clean water resources are very costly. In 2003 the U.N.'s World Water Development Report estimated an annual shortfall of $110 billion to $180 billion in investments needed to provide access to safe water to the poor in the developing world (Ronald Bailey). Another issue that is absolutely important is poverty.
In Africa most children that come from poor families do not have the education they deserve. This situation can definitely lead to an unsustainable country. If there isn’t enough educated people in the country, there would be no progress made. Mothers have to take their children out of school in order to get help at home. They also continue to have babies, knowing that they are not economically sustained,
because they need someone to help them out an support them. Also when they get older they need to depend on their children to take care of them. Also parents get affected when their children have little or no education because they would not have good financing in the future.
IV. Solutions
Since the beginning of this Nation people believed that water would be a life sustaining resource. For many years people have been taken water for granted because they thought their was plentiful. Unfortunately, this situation is rapidly changing. Due to pollution and improper water management, developing countries would be facing water scarcity in the future. This unwanted event could be prevented, if people better manage water usage and install water resources in those developing countries.
Consuming water properly is something that people struggle the most with. However, water management is important because water is not a renewable resource once it is all gone. One way that water can be conserved is by sharing it. It would be impossible to give water to 1 billion people if it remains business as accustomed in agriculture and water management. Most of the water goes to agriculture, industries, and domestic purposes. One way that water can be conserved in agricultural use is by helping out farmers to invest more efficient irrigation systems.
An irrigation system, Earthmister, was introduced by the Global Eco Soil Solutions. The goal for this organization is to save water by making a difference on the world’s water usage. Earthmister means “Streams came up from the ground and watered the earth,” this is the first efficient self-aerating irrigation system of the 21st Century (Global Eco Soil Solutions). The Earthmister way of watering is a very efficient device that would help out water crisis problems worldwide. With the Earthmister, farmers can water at any time no matter how bad the climate is because the weather is not included on the Earthmister equation. If Africa invests on the Earthmister way of watering, they can save the least water they have. As a result the farmers would provide more water for agriculture and raise their low earnings. Another problem is water pollution in Africa.
Across Africa, a third have no access to clean water, and almost two thirds no access to clean sanitation, causing widespread suffering from malaria, typhoid, dysentery and many other diseases (Joaquim Chissano). Having clean water is Africa’s number one priority project. Clean water should be provided in every African village to stop the rising deaths of water related diseases. Not only that but it can save people the time they spend collecting water. Africa alone can save up to 40 billion hours a year. Due to the lack of clean safe water in most villages, the organization, Africa Heartwood Project wants to provide drinkable water to every village.
This organization believes that water can be obtained by creating hand- dug wells or bore hole wells near villages. The bore holes are very accurate because when bucket water becomes contaminated they can easily access to clean water any time. In order to keep the water clean from the bore hole well, clean pipes would be installed into the hole to keep it safe. Installing hand- dug wells will allow clean water to be brought up to the surface. The organization relies on sponsors to cooperate in order to build as many wells as possible. Also the villages need to raise 5 percent of the profit in order to contribute to the project. This project can be a successful solution because it provides many benefits to Africans.
The project offers opportunities for kids to get an education, to work, to raise a family. Clean water would help reduce diseases, which means people not having to spend money on medicines, which means more money spend on books and school. If the water project could be build next to a school that would be great because it would definitely raise attendance. This all can become possible with the help of people like us, who just have to simply donate money towards the projects. With only twenty dollars we can provide one person to a clean water project in their village and this would be more than just water (charitywater).
For these solution the utilitarians would probably think that building up wells and learning how to conserve water would increase utility among the people, only if both parties agree to the solutions provided. What I mean by this is that people who conserve water would maximize happiness in the long run. For example, if people who have access to clean water and sacrifice their daily usage, they could probably suffer from the process of saving water but they would be glad to see that they still have enough water in the future.
To conclude, there are solutions to water scarcity and to the upcoming water crisis. The first step that needs to be accomplished in order to conserve water would be to provide information to the globe about water crisis so they can understand how severe this issue is and the consequences this problem can lead to if no action is taken into place. However, everything is possible and people can prevent water scarcity by better water management, and the installations of water resources in developing countries. Overall, providing and conserving our most valuable resource, can lead to a better future.
Annotated Bibliography
I. Books
Black, Maggie, and Jannet King. The Atlas Of Water. Brighton, UK: University of California Press
Berkeley and Los Angeles, California, 2009.
The Water Atlas book has a great variety of information on worldwide water consumption and pollution. It includes a lot of interesting statistics and facts about the consequences of polluted water. Dirty water is very harmful to people and too many other living things as well. The environment is being threatened because of fast urbanization and accelerating industrialization without the necessary infrastructure such as waste collecting and treatment systems. As a result, more waste dumped into rivers, lakes, or underground systems. Populations of freshwater species declined by 50% between 1970 and 2000 (Black, Maggie and Jannet King). The rapid population growth is putting intense pressure on water resources in many countries. In the future, more people will experience the lack of water and many of these people will be on developing countries.
Tunde, Obadina. Poverty And Economic Issues. Philadelphia: Masson Crest Publisher, 2007.
This book is very useful because it talks about how poverty affects Africa and its citizens. In chapter two, Africa’s Fragile Environment, the author explains how the poorest countries (Africa) are close to the equator where temperatures are typically really high. The harsh climates are harmful to agriculture in these regions because more water is required which is often not available. A report by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organizations explained that there are 2.7 billion acres of land in Africa with a growing period of less than 120 days (Tunde, Obadina). .This limits agricultural productions because typically growing seasons are sustainably greater. In a section of chapter three the author points out that poor governance greatly impedes the development of these countries. The absence of good governance in most of the countries in Africa, especially in the weak underdeveloped ones, greatly limited incentives that foster productive activities. The low productivity and poor governance caused other countries to not invest or do business.
II. Short Articles
"Africa Must Act to Tackle Water Crisis, Says Report - SciDev.Net." News & Information on
Science & Technology for Development - SciDev.Net. 28 Oct. 2011. Web. 28 Oct. 2011.
<http://www.scidev.net/en/news/africa-must-act-to-tackle-water-crisis-says-report.html>.
This report explains how Africa’s clean water supplies are under threat from climate change. This leaves Africa to combat not only water crisis but bad governance, and pollution of water resources. Therefore, these countries must start improving their management of water resources. The situation will worsen in the future if no action is taken into place. The UNEP member, Henry Ndede an environmental impact assessment expert, has developed scientific tools that are useful for measuring water levels and for forecasting. These tools are useful in dry lands; the scientific tools can be used to predict the weather to aid farmers for better agriculture.
AlterNet. "All States Must Acknowledge the UN's Recognition of Water as a Human Right | Water |
AlterNet." Home | AlterNet. Web. 25 Oct. 2011. <http://www.alternet.org/water/147752/all_states_must_acknowledge_the_uns_recognition_of_water_as_a_human_right>.
The UN’s recognition of water as a Human Right states that every person has a right to water and sanitation. The UN is trying to commit every state to acknowledge that everyone should have access to adequate clean water. Pablo Salon, a Bolivian Ambassador, emphasized the crucial situation of the worldwide water scarcity by snapping his fingers three times to demonstrate that a child dies every three and a half second by drinking contaminated water. Pablo Salon also wants the world to make a change by voting in favor of a resolution presented by him and backed up by 35 other states, located in the South, in order to have the General Assembly to identify the human right to water and sanitation. A Canadian water activist and author Maude Barlow, spend many of her years informing the general public about the global water crisis. She believed that recognition of the human right to water and sanitation was a considerable first step. However many influential countries, such as the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, and Canada decided to hold back from doing so.
David Braun. Water crisis looms in South Africa. NewsWatch. Web. 12 Oct. 2011.
<http://newswatch.nationalgeographic.com/2010/11/05/water_crisis_looms_in_south_africa>.
This article mainly focuses on the water scarcity South Africa is facing. It explains how the business communities are concerned about the water problem and how is it going to affect the country's development. The poor use of the country’s water supplies is leading labor unions to threaten to strike, unless the government does something to improve the situation. Over the past 16 years up to 2010 the government had accomplished the delivery of adequate freshwater into South Africa’s villages. Now the problem is would there be enough clean in the future for the villages. David mentions that South Africa is using up to 98 percent of its attainable water resources. Lastly, Costa Raftaploulos stated that South Africa sits on a water time bomb which will affect each and every person within her borders. Enough has been said to confirm that we are dealing with a problem of gigantic proportions.
News, Ips. "Polluted Water More Deadly Than War | Water | AlterNet." Home | AlterNet. Web. 25
Oct.2011.<http://www.alternet.org/water/146101/polluted_water_more_deadly_than_war?page=2>.
This article brings polluted water into the foreground, comparing the affects of polluted water to wars and earthquakes. This shows that polluted water is more deadly than wars and any natural disaster. According to Thalif Deen more people die from unsafe water than all forms of violence, including war. An example is that the catastrophic earthquake that killed nearly 200,000 people in Haiti does not surpass the deadly rates of number of dead people that die each year due to polluted water. Children are the most affected; some 1.5 million children die each year because they lack of sanitation (Thalif Deen). Children get infected by deadly disease more frequently than adults. The organizations, WHO and UNICEF provided assistance to 209 countries and territories worldwide to provide access to clean drinking water and sanitation.
III. long articles
Tatlock, Christopher W. "Water Stress in Sub-Saharan Africa." Cfr.org. 07 Aug. 2006. Web. 28 Oct.
2011. <http://www.cfr.org/africa/water-stress-sub-saharan-africa/p11240>.
The overview of this article is that water stress is happening around the world, but mainly in Sub-Saharan Africa. Water stress is caused by contamination, droughts, and poor management, also the increase of urbanization leading to crucial problems such as illness among the people and weak agriculture. One of the main reasons why water stress is more common is Sub-Saharan Africa is because the lack of infrastructure. P.B Anand, an environmental economist, indicated that a significant regional disparity is sanitation infrastructure (Tatlock, Christopher). Agriculture plays another big role, it can improve Africa's economies, but in order for this to happen a big portion of water supplies is required. The article also provides suggestions to what can be done to help decrease water stress. One solution suggested is that since Sub-Saharan Africa has greater climate instability than other parts of Africa, they need to improve water storage capacity.
IV. Documentary
Marrou, Walter. "Blue Gold: World Water Wars | Watch Free Documentary Online." Top
Documentary Films - Watch Free Documentaries Online. 26 July 2011. Web. 30 Oct. 2011. <http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/blue-gold-world-water-wars/>.
This documentary explains itself as films that will save us in the future as we learn more how to properly manage the water. Two main reasons what is causing water crisis, explained in the film, are the growth of population and technology. Water management is greatly important for all human beings. The Egyptians dependent mainly on the Nile River to get their water, as to Rome they expanded their engineering skills to bring water into their country. Going further back into the Mayan civilization, the Mayan leaders prayed to the god of rain because there was an unexpected climate change that almost dried up most of the Mayan’s water resources. Now we have entered in an era of high technology where economic water trade has been established to make a profit out of the water that should be freely delivered to families or communities. This is a life or death situation because those who have access to clean water do not have to struggle as much as those who do not have this valuable source. Water is mostly polluted by industries. As the population increases in the future, more waste will be thrown in the water polluting the little freshwater that is available for human use. The world is made up of 3% of freshwater, when mush of it is polluted beyond human use (Blue Gold). In t Mexico and the United States lies the most polluted river. The river is fully contaminated by the sewage people dumped into the river. Dead bodies and animals are often found in that river causing the water to be highly contaminated by deadly bacteria.
V. Multimedia videos
CharityWater. "Water Changes Everything. - YouTube." YouTube - Broadcast Yourself. 18 Apr.
2011. Web. 21 Oct. 2011. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BCHhwxvQqxg>.
This video talks about the importance of water and how it is a vulnerable source that everyone needs, including plants and animals. Water scarcity is becoming more common around the world especially in developing countries. This unfortunate situation has severely affected the citizens from Sub-Saharan Africa, South East Asia, and Latin America. Children and women are the most affected. Children are sent to collect clean water to the nearest pond or well. Due to this children are obligated to drop out of school because it often takes hours to walk several miles to collect the water. The worst part is that often the only water available is exposed to all kinds of germs and bacteria. A fact from the video is that most women in Sub- Saharan Africa spend more time collecting water than any other activity. If fresh water was established, it would benefit the people in many ways. Africa Alone can save up to 40 billion hours from collecting water (charitywater). It would also help people to spend more money on education than medical bones related to water illness among children.
"Six Critical Solutions to Water Scarcity & Food Insecurity - YouTube." YouTube - Broadcast
Yourself. Web. 25 Oct. 2011. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0rmRbVA905c>.
The Director General of the International Water Management Institute, Dr. Colin Chartres shares with us six critical solutions for water scarcity and food industry. He begins to talk about the concerns of water scarcity and how is it going to affect us in the future. He says that by 2050 the world’s population will double as well as water usage. All the six solutions that Dr. Collin talked about were: “Better Water Management,” “Reform Water government systems,” “Consider agriculture as part of the environment,” “Revitalize agriculture water use,” “Better manage urban and industrial water demand,” and “Empower the poor and women in water management.”
I. Introduction:
Over consumption has become a worldwide problem that has caused a negative impact on society. According to the Environment Global Issues Regional Applications, America is considered to be the biggest contributor to the world’s global consumption problem. The main problem is that the average American has a habit of consuming more stuff than needed. The average American generates fifty-two tons of garbage by age seventy- five (consumption by the Unites States). The desire of wanting more than necessary is polluting our planet. In fact, if the rest of the Earth’s population lived like North Americans do, it would take three planets to live sustainably (Wackernagel and Rees, 13). Growth population means more consumption and waste. Over consumption is not only a problem to our society but it is harming our environment.
Our environment is affected by pollutants from industries that produce many of the products we consume. Cars are a commonly used thing that people in the United States depend on. However, industries and cars are the most frequent greenhouse gas emitters. This is a crucial situation due to the fact that greenhouse gas emissions are harmful to the environment because they contribute to global warming. The way they contribute to global warming is by trapping the heat in the atmosphere. Greenhouse gases consist of carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (NO2), and water vapor. Even though greenhouse emissions include different types of elements, carbon dioxide is the most abundant molecule that contributes to the greenhouse gas effect. Lastly, carbon dioxide is a major pollutant because it would cause the earth to heat up, the ice to melt, and the rise of sea levels that would eventually lead to unfortunate natural disasters.
Poverty in Africa affects their water resources. Poverty is related to over consumption and to the environment because people in developed countries are using more water than required, while others do not have easy access to the valuable source. According to the Children’s Water Education Council of Canada, in Africa, the average person uses 3 liters per day, as to the average American who uses up to 425 liters daily. This shows the great difference on water consumption in developing countries and stabled countries. Polluted water is a major problem towards the environment as well because it is killing many sea creatures and animals. Dirty water that contains deadly bacteria poisons the fish; the fish get eaten by the animals causing the death of many animals. Lastly, the consequences of polluted water is that it can put out to extinct mostly marine creatures as to animals as well.
II. Political and Social Connections:
People in Africa, especially children, lack fresh water and sanitation causing a big percentage of the people to die each year. The most common disease due to polluted water is cholera. People who do not have quick access to freshwater have to walk several miles in search of it. This is crucial because children in Africa drop out of school to collect water for their families. This is something to take into consideration because children cannot receive a good education.Also. when children go out to collect fresh water they are exposed to all kinds of danger. There has been cases where young Sub- Saharan African girls have been raped in their journey to bring home water. Gerrie Hugo, a South African in Sweden reported that in May 2002 the SA government said that 5,859 cases of rape of pre-school children were reported to the South African Police Services. Many estimates put the number at 7 times this figure: 41,013 with 1.5 million children estimated to be abused every year.Overall, the Africans government play a big role in this situation.
The Non Governmental Organizations believe that poor Africans suffer from the guidance of their governors. The NGOS state that the problem with the governments is that they do not recognize the legal rights of the poor. The government refused to provide water to the poor by making it an ownership. The sad reality is that the governments fail to provide clean water in Africa’s cities. The reason why the government is not successful is because they sell the few clean water they possess to slum- dwellers in exchange of profit. If the government keeps up his corruption, the Africans are going to suffer the consequences. For these reasons an egalitarian society would be best for Africa.
Poor people in Africa are struggling to stay alive, while upper class people enjoy all the commodities (water) that the poor need the most. This issue brings to mind the concepts of the opposite of egalitarian. However, what I want to see is an egalitarian society in Africa. Everyone, including the dirt poor, should have free access to the same amount of clean freshwater. Water should be seen as a human right, putting a price on water means putting a price on life. Lastly, I believe that everyone should consider egalitarian because it would reduce the amounts of deaths, in Africa and developing countries, caused by lack of clean water and sanitation.
III. Causes:
Polluted water is a major issue around the world especially in developing countries. Water may seem harmless but the lack of clean water and sanitation is killing approximately one billion people around the world. Children are the most affected, they are the ones that get infected more frequently than adults and die. In Africa, 84 percent of water related deaths are in children ages 0-14 (Africa Water Crisis). The most commonly transmitted disease is cholera. This deadly bacteria can lead to severe diarrhea problems that eventually dehydrates them causing deaths. This problem is continuing because water is becoming more costly to the people that need it the most.
Water that is distributed in developing countries is far off more expensive, which makes it even harder to access it, than developed countries. Americans water lifestyle is obviously different because water in America is close to being free. On the other hand, African citizens have to pay more money; therefore, they struggle to collect clean water because they do not have the means of getting clean water as easily. Also, the installations of clean water resources are very costly. In 2003 the U.N.'s World Water Development Report estimated an annual shortfall of $110 billion to $180 billion in investments needed to provide access to safe water to the poor in the developing world (Ronald Bailey). Another issue that is absolutely important is poverty.
In Africa most children that come from poor families do not have the education they deserve. This situation can definitely lead to an unsustainable country. If there isn’t enough educated people in the country, there would be no progress made. Mothers have to take their children out of school in order to get help at home. They also continue to have babies, knowing that they are not economically sustained,
because they need someone to help them out an support them. Also when they get older they need to depend on their children to take care of them. Also parents get affected when their children have little or no education because they would not have good financing in the future.
IV. Solutions
Since the beginning of this Nation people believed that water would be a life sustaining resource. For many years people have been taken water for granted because they thought their was plentiful. Unfortunately, this situation is rapidly changing. Due to pollution and improper water management, developing countries would be facing water scarcity in the future. This unwanted event could be prevented, if people better manage water usage and install water resources in those developing countries.
Consuming water properly is something that people struggle the most with. However, water management is important because water is not a renewable resource once it is all gone. One way that water can be conserved is by sharing it. It would be impossible to give water to 1 billion people if it remains business as accustomed in agriculture and water management. Most of the water goes to agriculture, industries, and domestic purposes. One way that water can be conserved in agricultural use is by helping out farmers to invest more efficient irrigation systems.
An irrigation system, Earthmister, was introduced by the Global Eco Soil Solutions. The goal for this organization is to save water by making a difference on the world’s water usage. Earthmister means “Streams came up from the ground and watered the earth,” this is the first efficient self-aerating irrigation system of the 21st Century (Global Eco Soil Solutions). The Earthmister way of watering is a very efficient device that would help out water crisis problems worldwide. With the Earthmister, farmers can water at any time no matter how bad the climate is because the weather is not included on the Earthmister equation. If Africa invests on the Earthmister way of watering, they can save the least water they have. As a result the farmers would provide more water for agriculture and raise their low earnings. Another problem is water pollution in Africa.
Across Africa, a third have no access to clean water, and almost two thirds no access to clean sanitation, causing widespread suffering from malaria, typhoid, dysentery and many other diseases (Joaquim Chissano). Having clean water is Africa’s number one priority project. Clean water should be provided in every African village to stop the rising deaths of water related diseases. Not only that but it can save people the time they spend collecting water. Africa alone can save up to 40 billion hours a year. Due to the lack of clean safe water in most villages, the organization, Africa Heartwood Project wants to provide drinkable water to every village.
This organization believes that water can be obtained by creating hand- dug wells or bore hole wells near villages. The bore holes are very accurate because when bucket water becomes contaminated they can easily access to clean water any time. In order to keep the water clean from the bore hole well, clean pipes would be installed into the hole to keep it safe. Installing hand- dug wells will allow clean water to be brought up to the surface. The organization relies on sponsors to cooperate in order to build as many wells as possible. Also the villages need to raise 5 percent of the profit in order to contribute to the project. This project can be a successful solution because it provides many benefits to Africans.
The project offers opportunities for kids to get an education, to work, to raise a family. Clean water would help reduce diseases, which means people not having to spend money on medicines, which means more money spend on books and school. If the water project could be build next to a school that would be great because it would definitely raise attendance. This all can become possible with the help of people like us, who just have to simply donate money towards the projects. With only twenty dollars we can provide one person to a clean water project in their village and this would be more than just water (charitywater).
For these solution the utilitarians would probably think that building up wells and learning how to conserve water would increase utility among the people, only if both parties agree to the solutions provided. What I mean by this is that people who conserve water would maximize happiness in the long run. For example, if people who have access to clean water and sacrifice their daily usage, they could probably suffer from the process of saving water but they would be glad to see that they still have enough water in the future.
To conclude, there are solutions to water scarcity and to the upcoming water crisis. The first step that needs to be accomplished in order to conserve water would be to provide information to the globe about water crisis so they can understand how severe this issue is and the consequences this problem can lead to if no action is taken into place. However, everything is possible and people can prevent water scarcity by better water management, and the installations of water resources in developing countries. Overall, providing and conserving our most valuable resource, can lead to a better future.
Annotated Bibliography
I. Books
Black, Maggie, and Jannet King. The Atlas Of Water. Brighton, UK: University of California Press
Berkeley and Los Angeles, California, 2009.
The Water Atlas book has a great variety of information on worldwide water consumption and pollution. It includes a lot of interesting statistics and facts about the consequences of polluted water. Dirty water is very harmful to people and too many other living things as well. The environment is being threatened because of fast urbanization and accelerating industrialization without the necessary infrastructure such as waste collecting and treatment systems. As a result, more waste dumped into rivers, lakes, or underground systems. Populations of freshwater species declined by 50% between 1970 and 2000 (Black, Maggie and Jannet King). The rapid population growth is putting intense pressure on water resources in many countries. In the future, more people will experience the lack of water and many of these people will be on developing countries.
Tunde, Obadina. Poverty And Economic Issues. Philadelphia: Masson Crest Publisher, 2007.
This book is very useful because it talks about how poverty affects Africa and its citizens. In chapter two, Africa’s Fragile Environment, the author explains how the poorest countries (Africa) are close to the equator where temperatures are typically really high. The harsh climates are harmful to agriculture in these regions because more water is required which is often not available. A report by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organizations explained that there are 2.7 billion acres of land in Africa with a growing period of less than 120 days (Tunde, Obadina). .This limits agricultural productions because typically growing seasons are sustainably greater. In a section of chapter three the author points out that poor governance greatly impedes the development of these countries. The absence of good governance in most of the countries in Africa, especially in the weak underdeveloped ones, greatly limited incentives that foster productive activities. The low productivity and poor governance caused other countries to not invest or do business.
II. Short Articles
"Africa Must Act to Tackle Water Crisis, Says Report - SciDev.Net." News & Information on
Science & Technology for Development - SciDev.Net. 28 Oct. 2011. Web. 28 Oct. 2011.
<http://www.scidev.net/en/news/africa-must-act-to-tackle-water-crisis-says-report.html>.
This report explains how Africa’s clean water supplies are under threat from climate change. This leaves Africa to combat not only water crisis but bad governance, and pollution of water resources. Therefore, these countries must start improving their management of water resources. The situation will worsen in the future if no action is taken into place. The UNEP member, Henry Ndede an environmental impact assessment expert, has developed scientific tools that are useful for measuring water levels and for forecasting. These tools are useful in dry lands; the scientific tools can be used to predict the weather to aid farmers for better agriculture.
AlterNet. "All States Must Acknowledge the UN's Recognition of Water as a Human Right | Water |
AlterNet." Home | AlterNet. Web. 25 Oct. 2011. <http://www.alternet.org/water/147752/all_states_must_acknowledge_the_uns_recognition_of_water_as_a_human_right>.
The UN’s recognition of water as a Human Right states that every person has a right to water and sanitation. The UN is trying to commit every state to acknowledge that everyone should have access to adequate clean water. Pablo Salon, a Bolivian Ambassador, emphasized the crucial situation of the worldwide water scarcity by snapping his fingers three times to demonstrate that a child dies every three and a half second by drinking contaminated water. Pablo Salon also wants the world to make a change by voting in favor of a resolution presented by him and backed up by 35 other states, located in the South, in order to have the General Assembly to identify the human right to water and sanitation. A Canadian water activist and author Maude Barlow, spend many of her years informing the general public about the global water crisis. She believed that recognition of the human right to water and sanitation was a considerable first step. However many influential countries, such as the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, and Canada decided to hold back from doing so.
David Braun. Water crisis looms in South Africa. NewsWatch. Web. 12 Oct. 2011.
<http://newswatch.nationalgeographic.com/2010/11/05/water_crisis_looms_in_south_africa>.
This article mainly focuses on the water scarcity South Africa is facing. It explains how the business communities are concerned about the water problem and how is it going to affect the country's development. The poor use of the country’s water supplies is leading labor unions to threaten to strike, unless the government does something to improve the situation. Over the past 16 years up to 2010 the government had accomplished the delivery of adequate freshwater into South Africa’s villages. Now the problem is would there be enough clean in the future for the villages. David mentions that South Africa is using up to 98 percent of its attainable water resources. Lastly, Costa Raftaploulos stated that South Africa sits on a water time bomb which will affect each and every person within her borders. Enough has been said to confirm that we are dealing with a problem of gigantic proportions.
News, Ips. "Polluted Water More Deadly Than War | Water | AlterNet." Home | AlterNet. Web. 25
Oct.2011.<http://www.alternet.org/water/146101/polluted_water_more_deadly_than_war?page=2>.
This article brings polluted water into the foreground, comparing the affects of polluted water to wars and earthquakes. This shows that polluted water is more deadly than wars and any natural disaster. According to Thalif Deen more people die from unsafe water than all forms of violence, including war. An example is that the catastrophic earthquake that killed nearly 200,000 people in Haiti does not surpass the deadly rates of number of dead people that die each year due to polluted water. Children are the most affected; some 1.5 million children die each year because they lack of sanitation (Thalif Deen). Children get infected by deadly disease more frequently than adults. The organizations, WHO and UNICEF provided assistance to 209 countries and territories worldwide to provide access to clean drinking water and sanitation.
III. long articles
Tatlock, Christopher W. "Water Stress in Sub-Saharan Africa." Cfr.org. 07 Aug. 2006. Web. 28 Oct.
2011. <http://www.cfr.org/africa/water-stress-sub-saharan-africa/p11240>.
The overview of this article is that water stress is happening around the world, but mainly in Sub-Saharan Africa. Water stress is caused by contamination, droughts, and poor management, also the increase of urbanization leading to crucial problems such as illness among the people and weak agriculture. One of the main reasons why water stress is more common is Sub-Saharan Africa is because the lack of infrastructure. P.B Anand, an environmental economist, indicated that a significant regional disparity is sanitation infrastructure (Tatlock, Christopher). Agriculture plays another big role, it can improve Africa's economies, but in order for this to happen a big portion of water supplies is required. The article also provides suggestions to what can be done to help decrease water stress. One solution suggested is that since Sub-Saharan Africa has greater climate instability than other parts of Africa, they need to improve water storage capacity.
IV. Documentary
Marrou, Walter. "Blue Gold: World Water Wars | Watch Free Documentary Online." Top
Documentary Films - Watch Free Documentaries Online. 26 July 2011. Web. 30 Oct. 2011. <http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/blue-gold-world-water-wars/>.
This documentary explains itself as films that will save us in the future as we learn more how to properly manage the water. Two main reasons what is causing water crisis, explained in the film, are the growth of population and technology. Water management is greatly important for all human beings. The Egyptians dependent mainly on the Nile River to get their water, as to Rome they expanded their engineering skills to bring water into their country. Going further back into the Mayan civilization, the Mayan leaders prayed to the god of rain because there was an unexpected climate change that almost dried up most of the Mayan’s water resources. Now we have entered in an era of high technology where economic water trade has been established to make a profit out of the water that should be freely delivered to families or communities. This is a life or death situation because those who have access to clean water do not have to struggle as much as those who do not have this valuable source. Water is mostly polluted by industries. As the population increases in the future, more waste will be thrown in the water polluting the little freshwater that is available for human use. The world is made up of 3% of freshwater, when mush of it is polluted beyond human use (Blue Gold). In t Mexico and the United States lies the most polluted river. The river is fully contaminated by the sewage people dumped into the river. Dead bodies and animals are often found in that river causing the water to be highly contaminated by deadly bacteria.
V. Multimedia videos
CharityWater. "Water Changes Everything. - YouTube." YouTube - Broadcast Yourself. 18 Apr.
2011. Web. 21 Oct. 2011. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BCHhwxvQqxg>.
This video talks about the importance of water and how it is a vulnerable source that everyone needs, including plants and animals. Water scarcity is becoming more common around the world especially in developing countries. This unfortunate situation has severely affected the citizens from Sub-Saharan Africa, South East Asia, and Latin America. Children and women are the most affected. Children are sent to collect clean water to the nearest pond or well. Due to this children are obligated to drop out of school because it often takes hours to walk several miles to collect the water. The worst part is that often the only water available is exposed to all kinds of germs and bacteria. A fact from the video is that most women in Sub- Saharan Africa spend more time collecting water than any other activity. If fresh water was established, it would benefit the people in many ways. Africa Alone can save up to 40 billion hours from collecting water (charitywater). It would also help people to spend more money on education than medical bones related to water illness among children.
"Six Critical Solutions to Water Scarcity & Food Insecurity - YouTube." YouTube - Broadcast
Yourself. Web. 25 Oct. 2011. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0rmRbVA905c>.
The Director General of the International Water Management Institute, Dr. Colin Chartres shares with us six critical solutions for water scarcity and food industry. He begins to talk about the concerns of water scarcity and how is it going to affect us in the future. He says that by 2050 the world’s population will double as well as water usage. All the six solutions that Dr. Collin talked about were: “Better Water Management,” “Reform Water government systems,” “Consider agriculture as part of the environment,” “Revitalize agriculture water use,” “Better manage urban and industrial water demand,” and “Empower the poor and women in water management.”