Water scarcity. It’s one of those issues that most people are aware of…at least to some extent. They know it exists somewhere. They know it sounds bad. But what does it really mean to them?
Like any other year, we’ll splash in our pools, wash our cars, and water our lawns this summer and it will be easy to forget about someone else’s “water crisis.” We’ll turn our faucets on and water will come out. Just like always. No crisis there.
But the truth is much more daunting than that. Water scarcity isn’t just a far-off problem facing some obscure country you’ve never heard of. The UN estimates that over 1.2 billion people are currently living in areas of extreme water scarcity. That’s nearly one-fifth of the world’s population.
Over the next decade that number will climb closer to 2 billion. By 2025, two-thirds of the human population will be facing some degree of water stress. Reports indicate that issues with water scarcity are likely to slow global economic growth in the coming decades. Feeling more real yet?
Luckily, this issue isn’t going ignored by everyone. Governments and corporations around the world are looking for new ways to conserve. In some cases, existing technologies are being used in new ways. Our patented surfactant technologies have shown the ability to reduce farmers’ water use by 20% to 40% in low rainfall regions.
Meanwhile, new technologies are also being developed to help stem the tide. Surfactant seed coating is just one way we’re planning for the future. But we can’t do it alone.
So, how can you help? As cliché as it sounds, it starts with small changes. Take shorter showers, fix leaky faucets, track your water use for a week. You might be surprised to see how small changes can add up to big savings, both economically and environmentally.
The most important change of all? Stop thinking of water scarcity as someone else’s problem. Own it before it owns you.
[…] assembly aimed to address some of the serious issues related to population growth, water scarcity and climate change. It was open to policy managers, decision makers, academics in the field, and […]