From space, our planet appears to be more ocean than Earth.
But despite the water covering
71% of the planet’s surface, more than half the world’s population endures extreme water
scarcity for at least one month a year. And current estimates predict that by 2040, up to 20
more countries could be 1............................................... Taken together, these bleak statistics
raise a 2.....................................: are we running out of clean water?
Well yes, and no. At a planetary scale, Earth can’t run out of freshwater thanks to the water
cycle, a system that continuously produces and recycles water, morphing
3........................................................., to ice as it circulates around the globe. So this isn’t really
a question of how much water there is, but of how much of it is accessible to us.
4................................................ of earth’s liquid is saltwater, too loaded with minerals for
humans to drink or use in agriculture. Of the remaining 3% of potentially usable freshwater,
more than two-thirds is frozen in ice caps and glaciers. That leaves less than 1% available for
sustaining all life on Earth, spread across our planet in rivers, lakes, underground aquifers,
ground ice and permafrost. It’s these sources of water that are being
5............................................by humans, but slowly replenished by rain and snowfall.And this
limited supply isn’t 6..............................................around the globe. Diverse climates and
geography provide some regions with more rainfall and natural water sources, while other
areas have geographic features that make transporting water much more difficult. And
supplying the 6........................................................................it would take to move water across
these regions is extremely expensive.In many of these water-poor areas, as well as some with
greater access to water, humanity is 7................................................the local water supply
faster than it can be replenished. And when more quickly renewed sources can’t
8......................................., we start pumping it out of our finite underground reserves. Of
Earth’s 37 major 9...................................................., 21 are on track to be irreversibly emptied.
So while it’s true that our planet isn’t actually losing water, we are depleting the water sources
we rely on at an unsustainable pace.
This might seem surprising – after all, on average, people only drink about two liters of water a
day. But water plays a hidden role in our daily lives, and in that same 24 hours, most people will
actually consume an 10.............................................................. In fact, household water – which
we use to drink, cook, and clean – accounts for only 3.6% of humanity’s water consumption.
Another 4.4% goes to the wide range of factories which make the products we buy each day.
But the remaining 92% of our water consumption is all spent on a single industry:
agriculture.Our farms 11......................................................of 3.3 billion Olympic-sized swimming
pools every year, all of it swallowed up by 12...............................................to feed Earth’s
growing population. Agriculture currently covers 37% of Earth’s land area, posing the biggest
threat to our regional water supplies. And yet, it’s also a necessity. So how do we limit
agriculture’s thirst while still feeding those who rely on it?
Farmers are already finding ingenious ways to reduce their impact, like using
13........................................................ to grow “more crop per drop”, and breeding new crops
that are less thirsty. Other industries are following suit, adopting production processes that
reuse and recycle water. On a personal level, reducing food waste is the first step to reducing
water use, since one-third of the food that leaves farms is currently wasted or thrown away.
You might also want to consider eating less 14..........................................................like shelled
nuts and red meat. Adopting a vegetarian lifestyle could reduce up to one third of your water
footprint. Our planet may never run out of water, but it doesn’t have to for individuals to go
thirsty. Solving this local problem requires a global solution, and small day-to-day decisions can
affect 15...............................around the world.
