What You Can Do
“A
sustainable and secure society is one that meets its water needs
without destroying the ecosystems upon which it depends or the
prospects of generations yet to come.”
Fresh water is a life
support. Yet over the past half-century the scale and pace of human
influences on freshwater systems has accelerated rapidly, along with
population and consumption growth. Worldwide water demands roughly
tripled. Agriculture now accounts for about 70 percent of world water
use, industry for about 22 percent, and towns and municipalities for 8
percent.
The impacts of rising water consumption are
increasingly visible. Water tables are falling in many countries from
the overpumping of groundwater. Major rivers like the Amu Dar’ya,
Colorado, Ganges, Indus, Rio Grande, and Yellow now run dry for
portions of the year. Worldwide, freshwater wetlands have diminished in
area by about half. Today, at least 20 percent of Earth’s 10,000
freshwater fish species are at risk of extinction or are already
extinct.
World Water Crisis: www.FreshWaterAlert.org
“In light
of population growth and rising affluence, individuals have an
important role to play by making responsible choices about their
consumption patterns—from diets to material purchases.”
Just
as individual choices about diets and landscapes can make a big
difference on the total human impact on water bodies, so can choices
about the consumption of material goods. Virtually everything people
buy—from clothes to computers to cars—takes water to make, and the
manufacturing process may result in pollution of streams and lakes as
well.
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By choosing a healthy and less water-intensive diet, an
attractive and climate-appropriate landscape, and a lifestyle with
fewer material goods, individuals can lessen their impact on Earth’s
freshwater systems without sacrificing personal satisfaction. Such
choices can turn water consumers into water stewards.
- Install
water- and energy- efficient appliances and fixtures, including
toilets, showerheads, faucets, clothes washers, and dishwashers;
- Select native plants and grasses for lawns and landscapes and rely on natural rainfall for watering;
- Choose
paper and other products made from recycled materials, which can save
not only materials and energy, but also the water used in manufacturing;
- If you buy
a car, choose a fuel-efficient vehicle over a gas-guzzling
sport-utility vehicle. SUVs not only consume about three times more
gasoline per kilometer driven, but also indirectly use much more water
since it takes 18 liters of water to produce just one liter of gasoline;
- Eat a nutritious, less meat-intensive diet;
- Push for local land use ordinances that protect wetlands, aquifers, and watersheds;
- Serve on local water management boards to monitor and enforce water protection strategies.
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