Unifying Force of Nature and Man, Essay Example

Water is a part of the everyday life of all human beings. Without water, nothing could survive. The crisp clean air you smell on an afternoon walk in the woods would not exist. The air would be filled with foul orders due to lack of proper sanitation. The beautiful foliage you would see would be replaced by dusty roads and dry, brown leaves and grass. There is no alternative to water. Many people like to compare the possible water shortage to the petroleum shortage in America today. These are two contradictory issues because without adequate water, the world may cease to exist. Although only a small portion of the earth consists of useable water, that small portion is providing for all the humans, animals, and plants life. Water scarcity is something that most people never think about, but it is an issue that the human race may be facing in the very near future. All around the developed world, there have been accounts of surging population spikes. These surges in population are placing a strain on an already limited water supply. Another factor of water shortage is that water around the world is shrinking too. Areas like China, India, and Africa that are in arid regions are experiencing shrinkage in water supply at astronomical speeds. People in areas like China, India, and Africa are forced to drink water from unfit sources. The use of this unclean water is linked to many diseases and deaths. Thousands of people die each day from diseases caused by unclean drinking water. One would think that these problems would be easy to fix, but they are not. There just is not an adequate supply of drinkable water in the water to provide for the human race. Humans have been known to use more than their fair share of supplies, they have even been know to hoard extras, this mentality is helping to eradicate the world’s natural resources and place humans at risk of becoming extinct.

The environment is feeling the effects of water scarcity as well. There have been a great number of dams and reservoirs to provide water for land and people built in recent years. This process may have seemed to by a good idea in the beginning, but the building of dams and reservoirs has greatly affected the earth’s natural ecosystem. The modifications of rivers and lakes have put the lives of many freshwater fish at risk. Also, many dams and lakes have completely dried up because of drainage for dams and reservoirs. In essence, the beautiful scenery that God created has been eradicated and replaced with manmade substitutes. These substitutes can be compared to a person who has had extensive plastic surgery. Often, the person may look gorgeous on the outside, but there are numerous problems going wrong on the inside. Essentially, this is what is happening to our world. Man has created so many replacements for what God naturally placed in our world. This has caused many disasters.

The management of the remaining water on earth is a crucial issue. Useable water is not evenly distributed over the world. Most continents south of the equator suffer from water shortages, while countries that have adequate water supplies are not making the necessary precautions to aid these water short areas. Americans consume water with thinking. They use water in excess to complete tasks like washing cars and watering lawns. Americans irrigate golf courses and landscapes while others are suffering for clean drinking water. This poor management of water may eventually lead to water wars between countries that have water and those that do not.

Making improvements to the water scarcity situation will require several possible solutions. The scarcity of water is not an issue that is on the forefront for all countries at the same time, but it is a fate they may be unavoidable for the world. Nonetheless, there are several ways to try to preserve and conserve the earth’s water. The first possible solution to the water shortage is the use of desalinization. This is process where salty water is filtered to produce water that is drinkable. This process has been used by other countries and has been quite successful. These nations are able to produce drinkable water. Recycling and reusing discarded word is also an option. Municipalities around the country have been doing this. This would be a cost-effective way to provide usable water for families. If this process were implemented globally, the results would benefit all people alike. This would be an environmentally friendly way to address the problem of water shortage. Finally, conserving water can be done in one home at a time. Homeowners can begin by making small improvements to their homes. Making sure one has efficient water heaters and no dripping faucets is a great first step. Often, water heater temperature can be adjusted to cut down on the time needed for water to get warm. Although these are only small changes, they can have an astronomical affect on the overall water shortage issue. These small changes can also help to prevent the problem from growing even larger.

Implementing a wide scale cut back of water may produce more noticeable changes quicker. For example, laws or treaties could be made between countries to help conserve and commit to sharing what they have if the need ever arose. These treaties would help to work out a way for the entire world to have equal distribution of drinkable and usable water. These would prevent areas that have plentiful water sources from hoarding their supplies. In a time of dire need, water could be a precious resource when everyone does not have it. Water would be worth more than currency to countries who lack water.

Global warming is another factor that is linked to possible water shortages in the near future. Scientists have been predicting that global warming will alter precipitation around the world. Global warming has been linked to melting glaciers and extreme droughts in some areas. Yet, one must be reminded that global warming is created by the actions of humans. When humans burn fuels like coal, oil, and other natural gases it causes heat to be trapped and gradually warms the planet. When farmers cut down and burn areas of forest to produce nutrient rich soil for crops, they are aiding global warming. This can directly affect plant and animal life in the vicinity of mass burnings for crops. Car emissions are also to blame for global warming. In recent years, there has been an influx of people driving large SUV’s. These large, trucks like vehicles give off more emissions than small economy sized cars. The desire for bigger and better vehicles has driven people to purchase these type vehicles despite the lack of need for them. Large vehicles have been historically driven by farmers who need these types of vehicles for their horsepower.

What would the world be like without proper water sources? It would probably be easier to imagine living a day in your home without proper water.  Most people wake up in the morning and wash their faces and brush their teeth. Without water this can become a challenge. If water is scarce, households may have a limit of water they could use daily. So, washing your face may be done by using some type of artificial wipes and brushing your teeth would probably not include wetting the brush prior to brushing. After a week of this, people would probably not want to be close to each other. Next, we all use the toilet first thing in the morning. If water were scarce, you would probably be met with the urine stench from the previous night because you didn’t want to flush the toilet unnecessarily. Flushing toilets would be less frequent. Fixing food would be less sanitary as well. Foods that were washed prior to cooking would have to cook thoroughly in hopes of killing all germs. Handling meats would be dangerous if one could not properly wash their hands after each preparation. As a result, people would be plagued by infections and diseases that are transmitted in insanitary areas. Hospitals would be a scary place. Without proper water to sanitize areas, a hospital, medical center, or even a nursing home would be germ infested.

Water scarcity is a problem that will be faced in the future. Because of the many other problems humans are facing today, water scarcity is on the back burner for now. Human beings respond to stimuli, or what feels good to them.  Humans have a tendency to put off problems until they require imminent attention because they are by nature animalistic. Often, this is when the problem is unfixable. Children are dying in large numbers in other countries due to lack of drinkable water. Poverty stricken countries are plagued by waterborne illness daily. These affects will only get worse and spread to more populated areas if something is not done immediately. More than one solution can solve the world’s water scarcity problem, but the common denominator in the equation is human’s actions now. Whether there are small steps that people can take, like fixing dripping faucets or making sure water heaters are working properly, steps must be made to correct these problems. Human being must become aware of how their actions can affect future generations. God provided us with everything we needed, had we been conservative and used it like he intended.