Water water everywhere

and not

a drop

to drink?

Water has affected our earth and all living organisms for over 3.5 billion years…

The Refreshing Water Cycle

Surface Water

All fresh water that is above ground is called surface water like ponds, lakes, streams, and rivers.

In 1969, a spark from a passing train caused the Cuyahoga River to catch fire… http://www.lerc.nasa.gov/WWW/K12/fenlewis/History.html

Smoke on the water…

"The Cuyahoga will live in infamy as the only river that was ever declared a fire hazard."- Congressman Louis Stokes

Groundwater

Water percolates through the soil to become part of the water table as groundwater. (60x the volume of water than found on the surface.)

Large areas of groundwater found in underground rock formations are called aquifers – they take millions of years to form.

Accessible fresh water in lakes, rivers and aquifers is only 1/10th of 1% of all Earth's water… Over half of this water is tapped, and almost all areas suffer at least one of three major threats to the water supply: pollution, overexploitation, and political conflict.

Crisis? What crisis?... in Canada?

We have ample rainfall (which is the only way fresh water is replenished).

We have many sources of fresh water – the Great Lakes is the largest source in the world; we have river systems seemingly everywhere you turn…

Our water is safe to drink – we have no worries about lack of water or safety…

REALLY? Hummmm… And what about the rest of the world? How much water do we really have???

It takes 4921 L of water to produce one serving of hamburger…400 000 L to make a car.

Around the world, the computer industry uses over 1.5 trillion L of water and produces 300 billion L of wastewater every year…

One flush of a toilet uses the same amount of water that is obtained in a day by a person in 30 of the world's poorest countries…

Consider how water is used indirectly -

All Water on Earth

Oceans_________________97.24 %All ice caps/glaciers______ 2.14 % Groundwater___________ 0.61 % Freshwater lakes_________0.009 %Inland seas/salt lakes_____ 0.008 %Soil Moisture____________ 0.005 %Atmosphere_____________ 0.001 %All rivers________________0.0001 %

Total_________________100 %

Useable Freshwater on Earth = 2.76 %

Who uses the water?

Highest % of industrial water use occurs in Europe and North America.

Agriculture (re)uses ~67% of the water in the world through irrigation.

Water management projects bring water to dry habitats for recreation, drinking, or for electricity.

Conflicts over control of water has been a problem all over the world and as our need for fresh water increases, so will the issue of water rights.

“Although two thirds of our planet is water, we face an acute water shortage. The water crisis is the most pervasive, most severe, and most invisible dimension of the ecological devastation of the earth.” Vandana Shiva, Water Wars, 2002

In Mexico City, groundwater pumping has lowered the city's water table in places by more than 60 feet in 50 years, causing parts of the city to sink. China's Yellow River, which irrigates 18 million acres, ran dry at its mouth in 10 of the past 12 years.

More than 80 countries, including the United States, face water shortages…

Hey – but we have lots of water – we can SELL it!!!

In 2000, the World Water Forum declared that water was a commodity – a salable product on the world market…

So let’s privatize water! KA-CHING!!!

Privatized water is delivered to those who can pay for it, such as wealthy cities, individuals, and water-intensive industries, like agriculture and high-tech.

Does this sound like a GOOD IDEA to YOU?

Water For Sale?

The United Nations declared that water is a common good and that access to safe, clean water is a basic human right…it is NOT for sale!

Canadian Consumption – we bought more than 700 million L of bottled water last year (spending ~ $500 million).

At present there is not adequate legislation in place to protect water supplies in Canada from pollution and depletion.

Global Dynamics The combination of increasing demand and shrinking

supply has attracted the interest of global corporations who want to sell water for a profit. The water industry is touted by the World Bank as a potential trillion dollar industry. Water has become the “blue gold” of the 21st century.

Global consumption of water is doubling every 20 years, more than twice the rate of human population growth. By the year 2025, there will be 2.6 billion more people on Earth than there are today. As many as two--thirds of those people will be living in conditions of serious water shortage, and one--third will be living with absolute water scarcity. Demand for water will exceed availability by 56 %.

And what exactly is in our water?

What our Canadian government has permitted the use of, or has licensed:

• 330 “food additives”

• 103 types of pesticides on foods at “safe levels”

• over 32 food colourings

• More than 1000 flavourings added to cigarettes

There are over 1 400 pesticides used in Canada today, and at least 15 000 identified toxic chemicals in found in Canadian workplaces. Over a million tonnes of toxic waste is dumped in Canada alone every year, finding its way to our rivers, streams and lakes – to the water we drink and the irrigation ponds we use for crops.

Don’t Do iT!

more than 50 million kilograms of pesticides are still used in Canada each year.

The product 2,4‑D is found in many common pesticides, and has been controversial for decades.

It is most commonly used weed killer on Canadian lawns and gardens, and is “persuasively linked” to cancer, neurological impairment and reproductive problems

About 90 Canadian municipalities and the entire province of Quebec have already banned the non‑essential use of pesticides.

Water quality is now considered the most important water related problem in Canada…

Globally, 25 million people have fled their homes because their water supply was polluted or depleted…

It takes 4921 L of water to produce one serving of hamburger…

Around the world, the computer industry uses 1.5 trillion L of water and produces 300 billion L of wastewater every year…

Sustainability

Sustainability is more than a lofty ideal or a direction in which we strive. It is an ecological, social and economic imperative. The very survival of humanity depends on achieving sustainability, and changes to laws and policies will play a crucial role in determining whether our efforts are successful. The struggle for a sustainable future is one of the most daunting challenges facing humanity in the 21st. David Boyd.

Why wait ‘til the LAST DROP?

Some References:

Council of Canadians http://www.canadians.org (Water Campaign)

Maude Barlow 2000 Blue Gold: The Battle Against Corporate Theft of the World’s Water

Sierra Club http://www.sierraclub.org/CAC/water/