WAYS OF WATER

The earth and humans are water twins: the earth is made up of 70% water and people are comprised of around 60% water. Without water, humans as well as the earth as we know it, would not exist. There’s a reason we’re not all currently living on Mars: water is our most precious and lifegiving resource and why the Earth is our home. Moreover, water is key for understanding our changing planet, as water vapor accounts for 97% of greenhouse gasses.

Water is that unbroken thread which connects the eras of dinosaurs, ancient Greeks, the time of the Buddha, the time of Jesus, and every significant epoch in human history. The water that sustains us today has flowed through time and will continue to flow for times unknown - the water currently on our planet is all that we have for eternity. Thus, our actions echo throughout the ages and impact the quality of water available to humans and all other species.It also emphasizes our responsibility to protect and conserve this finite, yet essential resource.

Image source: Canva AI.

Yet, in the modern era with increasing populations and ever-growing resource intensive cities, water scarcity and purity has become a critical environmental and social concern. We TAKE: The global water use has expanded by nearly 1% every year since the 1980s, and by 2050 we are going to consume 20-30% more! [1] Furthermore, emerging nations risk losing approximately $350 million USD due to decreasing water supply and its adverse effect on crop output.[2] Water shortages in India, China, and the Middle East have led to lower crop production, higher food costs, and geopolitical tensions. Even worse, people are now fleeing their homesteads to look for accessible water sources. We MAKE: Industries in high-income nations alone account for up to 59% of total water use. And we WASTE: More than 80% of the world’s wastewater[3] is discharged untreated, polluting waterways and oceans around the globe. Water scarcity and pollution have significant financial implications for businesses and economies.

Water sustainability means to purposely re-envision how we TAKE (usage as to not destroy or deplete ecosystems); MAKE (minimize water use in production and eliminate any pollutants); and WASTE (how we consciously discharge only clean water, that can be used to regenerate water cycles and ecosystems). It is now more crucial than ever to address the urgent challenges posed by water and develop innovative solutions for these pressing issues.