Freshwater Conservation, Essay Example

The amount of drinkable and usable freshwater in the world continues to decrease over time and this activity has continued to grow at a faster speed than ever before.  There are two major causes for this trend.  The first cause is that humans are withdrawing freshwater resources at an alarming rate for drinking purposes (Saunders, Meeuwig & Vincent, 2002).  The world’s population continues to increase and this naturally requires more drinkable water to provide health and energy resources for all humans around the world.  The second cause is that “increased water demands for irrigation, industrial, and domestic uses already threaten freshwater resources in many parts of the world (Saunders et. al, 2002).

There are several different methods that are being utilized privately in homes and publicly to combat this issue.  First of all, there is a continuous effort to produce washing machines, toilets and shower heads that reduce water consumption in homes and to eliminate wasted freshwater resources (ScientificAmerican.com, 2008).  Large businesses and corporations that use large amounts of water for production are also provided technological and behavioral techniques to reduce water consumption and water waste (Nature.org, 2010).  Finally, details continue to unfold to create and maintain freshwater conservatories where protected areas are restricted to native species and non-industrial or consumption usage (Saunders et. al, 2002).

This topic is highly important for long-term effects throughout the world.  The public debate over freshwater consumption and the effort to increase modern technologies to convert salt-water to drinking water have received much publicity in the media and professional fields.  The goal of my research is to determine the extent of the freshwater problems and carefully analyze the effectiveness of the major conservation methods used throughout the world.  I wish to find out if these methods are actually working.

References

Nature.org . (2010). Freshwater conservation: providing fresh water for nature and people. The Nature Conservancy, Retrieved from http://www.nature.org/initiatives/freshwater/

Saunders, D.L., Meeuwig, J.J., & Vincent, A.C.J. (2002). Freshwater protected areas: strategies for conservation. Conservation Biology, 16(1), 30-41.

ScientificAmerican.com . (2008, July 23). Freshwater conservation: drip by drip. Scientific American, Retrieved from http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=fresh-water-conservation