By Ginny Gallardo
The worry about a shortage of oil in the future has been a constant worry for global leaders. Some countries have taken to completely forgoing any worry about the environment in hopes of finding more oil while others have taken a different route in hopes of finding an alternative. But oil is not the only thing that should be a concern. In fact, there is one thing that I would argue is far more valuable and necessary then oil.
Water.
World leaders are not as concerned with the water shortages that plague almost every single country as they are with oil. This is a crime. More policy makers need to realize that this is going to become a global pandemic should something not be done.
Researchers estimate that by 2050, the world population will be 9.1 billion. In a world where we are already feeling the stress at 7 billion people, it is almost unfathomable to think about what the world will be like in the future. And this is not just a single tier problem. An increase in water scarcity will lead to issues like an increase in food insecurity, and make meeting energy and industrial demands nearly impossible.
Also, this is not something that solely affects the third world but actually affects those living in place like the USA and Europe. However, it affects them in a different way. Places like the USA actually face an issue called physical water scarcity. This means that the physical presence of water in the country is starting to dwindle to worrisome levels. Water scarcity features in a different way in place like Africa and South America. They are plagued with the problem of economic water shortage. In these areas, there is a lack of infrastructure in the country to get the water from rivers and aquifers.
Although the United Nations has argued that there is no actual global water shortage, there are areas that are plagued with some sort of scarcity or shortage. They estimate that approximately one fifth of the population or 1.2 billion people live in areas where there is a physical water scarcity. In addition to this figure, approximately 1.6 billion people or one fourth of the world population live in areas where they experience economic water shortage.
Where is the majority of this shortage occurring? Africa. Specifically, people who live in sub-Saharan Africa are more likely to die from lack of clean drinking water then anywhere else in the world. As of 2013, 98% of all deaths related to water shortage occur in the developing world. That being said, if the existing climate change scenario were to continue, almost half of the world’s population would live in areas of high water stress by 2030. This includes places like the USA, Europe and China (places with some of the least stress).
In a world where we have made such amazing and almost ungodly strides in the world of technology and science, it is almost disturbing that so many people still die from a lack of clean drinking water. About 2.2 billion people died in 2013 from diarrhea caused by drinking contaminated water. That is the equivalent to 22 jumbo jets crashing every day. Where is the outrage? Where are the people demanding that something be done to stop deaths that are so preventable?
There is no easy answer to this question. There is no easy way to approach this. In fact, some researchers argue that there is no way to stop this trend. However, I disagree. Policymakers need to adopt new strategies when it comes to interacting with the environment. Independent research institute, Worldwatch Institute, argues “efforts must be made to follow an integrated water resource management approach on a global scale. This involves water management that recognizes the holistic nature of the water cycle and the importance of managing trade-offs within it, that emphasizes the importance of effective institutions, and that is inherently adaptive.” There are great NGOs that are trying their hardest to stop this trend but they are not enough.
What was once considered an infinite resource, we now know to be finite. There could be a time where only few have the necessary amount of water to survive. If we want the world to progress forward, then we cannot sacrifice the environment. The threat of a depleting amount of available drinking water is real. It is not something that can be ignored any longer.
Ginny Gallardo is an Assistant Online Editor for the Sigma Iota Rho Journal of International Relations. She is senior at Baylor University, majoring in International Studies and Political Science.
