Water and Resource Efficiency
When people consume resources - through the manufacture of goods, driving a car or turning on a tap - there are associated impacts on the environment. For many resources, consumption levels have historically been linked to economic growth. As societies become richer we buy more goods, travel further and demanded greater convenience. If this continues we risk causing irreparable harm to the environment with serious consequences such as increased flooding due to climate change and human health impacts resulting from poor water quality.
The scale of this problem should not be underestimated. Some have suggested we would need over two planets' worth of resources to sustain our current level of consumption across the globe, particularly if countries like India and China were to follow the Western route to prosperity.
In order to continue to enjoy prosperity but not exceed environmental limits, we must break the link between economic growth and environmental degradation. In other words, we must increase the efficiency with which natural resources are used to generate economic wealth dramatically, perhaps by as much as a factor of ten. This means consuming fewer resources and producing less waste whilst delivering the same end services or products. This will save businesses and consumers money as well as benefiting the environment.
In some areas, breaking the link between economic growth and pollution has started to happen. Emissions of sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxides from energy production, for example, have been declining in some countries for many years. It is true that this is partly due to some of our industry being exported, but it is also because industry has found ways to produce more goods whilst cutting effluent and cleaning up emissions. However, for many areas this challenge remains. Energy consumption (including transport), waste production and water consumption are all still increasing.
Companies and consumers making small, incremental changes have achieved many of the improvements made so far. Whilst these simple changes are important, much more radical, structural change will be required to achieve improvements on the scale needed, such as widespread adoption of new innovative technologies such as renewable energy technologies.
Solutions
It is
imperative to make people, communities and the private sector fully
aware of available new-technology solutions, methods and
practices, in order to reduce water stress and pollution.
New-technology can reduce water and sewer bills, and use of materials and energy. On a global scale,
water consumption varies greatly. It is estimated that, in order to
survive, a person needs 4 to 5 gallons of water per day, this includes
water for drinking, cooking and sanitation. The average water use per
person per day, just for domestic purposes in the United States and
Canada is estimated around 150 gallons. In Europe, with roughly the
same standard of living, the average resident of the United Kingdom
uses 31 gallons per person per day. In the developing world, the
average person living in Africa uses 5 gallons per person per day, and
in many areas, people are getting even less water than that. Globally,
a staggering 25,000 people die daily from lack of access to clean
water.
Oil prices
have fallen from their recent peaks, but concerns about the
availability of freshwater show no sign of abating. Goldman Sachs, an
investment bank, estimates that global water consumption is doubling
every 20 years, which it calls an "unsustainable" rate of growth.
Water, unlike oil, has no substitute. Climate change is altering the
patterns of freshwater availability in complex ways that can lead to
more frequent and severe droughts. This will affect all industries, as the demand for freshwater and price of water is expected to increase.
"Get
more out of Water" educates about
water-efficiency, and provides new-technology solutions to water users:
- Water Stress is calculated as the percentage of a country’s territory affected by over-subscription of water resources. The target for each country is to have no area of their territory affected by over-subscription. Water use is represented by local demands summed by domestic, industrial, and agricultural water withdrawals and then divided by available water supply to yield an index of local relative water use.
- Societies, economies, and environment use water for variety of purposes. For the most part , however, we do not want water; we want the services that water provides; clean clothes and dishes, healthy lawns, etc. Many of these services however, can be accomplished with substantially LESS water than is currently used, a concept that lies at the heart of water conservation, and efficiency.
- The term 'water conservation and efficiency' refers to actions and technologies that reduce water use without compromising services.
- Conservation efforts can be either short- or long- term. Most conservation programs are based on temporary measures, such as water restrictions during severe droughts.
- Implementation of water-efficiency technologies and water conservation activities are vital to effectively capture potential savings.
- Water conservation and efficiency programs will reduce water use without reducing services by improving efficiency and reducing waste.
- It is much cheaper to encourage efficiency and conserve water, than to build new water supplies or expanding existing ones.
- Therefore, in every community on earth, water-efficiency and education is of great importance. Water-related problems need to be discussed in order for everyone to take action.
- Water users can contribute to the World Water Crisis by improving water-efficiency, conserving water and energy, reducing use of chemicals in industrial processes, and monitoring waste water quality and the environment.
- Communities, governments, politicians, and the private sector are important as our target-groups for raising awareness. They will be the ones to make decisions on how to manage water quality, and resources in a sustainable way.
Water Efficiency Management Platform
|
|
