User:AndrewTRTL23/Water scarcity

First contribution
section from article:

When there is not enough potable water for a given population, the threat of a water crisis is realized. The United Nations and other world organizations consider a variety of regions to have water crises of global concern. Other organizations, such as the Food and Agriculture Organization, argue that there are no water crises in such places, but steps must still be taken to avoid one.

My contribution:
Water is a resource that many animals rely on, humans are no different. When a country sees an increase in population, they can expect an increase in water demand. According to a projection by the United Nations, by the year 2050, there can be about 4.5 billion people affected by a water crisis. Additionally, with the increase in population, there will be a demand for food, for the food output to match the population growth, there would be an increased demand for water to irrigate crops. Increasing the demand for water as well as increasing the population results in a water crisis where there is not enough water to share in healthy levels.

Second contribution
Section from article: have

More than one in every six people in the world is water stressed, meaning that they do not have sufficient access to potable water. Those that are water stressed make up 1.1 billion people in the world and are living in developing countries. In 2006, about 700 million people in 43 countries were living below the 1,700 cubic metres per person threshold. Water stress is ever intensifying in regions such as China, India, and Sub-Saharan Africa, which contains the largest number of water stressed countries of any region with almost one fourth of the population living in a water stressed country. The world's most water stressed region is the Middle East with averages of 1,200 cubic metres of water per person. In China, more than 538 million people are living in a water-stressed region. Much of the water stressed population currently live in river basins where the usage of water resources greatly exceed the renewal of the water source.

My second contribution
The fresh water available to us on the planet is around 1% of the total water on earth. Most of this water comes from rivers, glaciers, lakes, wetlands, groundwater, and streams. With the increase in global temperatures and in an increase in water demand, six out of ten people are at risk of being water-stressed. The drying out of wetlands globally, at around 67%, was a direct cause of a large number of people at risk of water stress. As the global demand for water increases and as climate temperatures rise, it is estimated that two-thirds of the population, in 2025, will live under water stress.

My third contribution (200 words)
Section from article (glaciers section):

Glaciers are noted as a vital water source due to their contribution to stream flow. Rising global temperatures have noticeable effects on the rate at which glaciers melt, causing glaciers in general to shrink worldwide. Although the meltwater from these glaciers is increasing the total water supply for the present, the disappearance of glaciers in the long term will diminish available water resources. Increased meltwater due to rising global temperatures can also have negative effects such as flooding of lakes and dams and globally catastrophic results.

My contribution:

About 2% of Earth's water is frozen freshwater found in glaciers. These glaciers, when naturally melting, provide fresh water to any local areas near the glacier's run-off. This water is used by locals for a number of reasons like agriculture, livestock, and hydropower. This is beneficial in helping reduce water scarcity as more water is available to a select number of people. It has been projected that total glaciers worldwide will be 60% of what they are now, in the year 2100. The main reason for the melting of these glaciers is climate change. Glaciers reflect sunlight from the sun back into space providing a decrease in temperatures worldwide. This process is called albedo and without the glaciers reflecting sunlight, temperatures would slowly begin to rise. As temperatures rise, glaciers will melt quicker overall reducing the total amount of sunlight being reflected worldwide. Melting glaciers, over a long period of time, begin receding and will be difficult to recover once seasonal changes occur. Glacier's losing mass may decrease their annual run-off, coupled with receding glaciers, which will change the availability of water in many cold regions of the world. About a third of glaciers may experience a 10% run-off reduction in some seasons.