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Recommended: Water scarcity speech
Is Water Becoming the New Oil?
What is the most vital need of all humans alike? Survival is the obvious answer of course. Although, in order to survive we all need water, it is the prime source of all life. For most of us water is conveniently as close as walking to the kitchen, but what if that option ceased to exist, and water became scarce and expensive? The reality of this is that water is in fact becoming more and more misused, unpreserved, can be easily lost, and in the wrong hands, perhaps be very expensive.
The world is currently facing a large demand for the pure liquid which we all need daily. Some nations face a narrow future if action isn’t taken to preserve and distribute the right amounts of water around the world. Places such as India, or Syria would lose out in a battle for water against those countries that are naturally overflowing with it. Sitka, Alaska is home to a grand amount of some of the freshest and pure water known to man. Blue Lake, as they call it, is consumed by trillions of gallons of water. So there we have nestled in Alaska, hope for so many that could benefit by transportation from Blue Lake. The question is who takes on the responsibility of controlling where and who it goes to. (Interlandi)
This sought after liquid is gaining the name “The New Oil,” and in many accounts water lives up to it. Rather than oil, water has no duplicates, no other options, without simple H2O life would deteriorate quickly and vastly. The water market is very obviously more complex and cost worthy now, than it was 2 decades ago. Multimillion dollar companies that distribute water to the tap are not going to step down to help the little people. The source of all of it is profit, and where it’s being made, the product ...
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Bibliography
“Climate Change Is Threatening Wild Animal Species Around the World." Biodiversity. Ed. Debra A. Miller. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2013. Current Controversies. Rpt. from "Species Threatened by Climate Change." Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 02 Mar. 2014.
Interlandi, Jeneen. "THE NEW OIL." Ebscohost.com. Newsweek Vol. 156 Issue 16, P40-46. 7p. 4, 18 Oct. 2010. Web. 2 Mar. 2014.
Maxfield, Bill. "CLIMATE CHANGE, GREEN ENERGY, LAND PRESERVATION, FISHERIES MANAGEMENT, WATER CONSERVATION BILLS AUTHORED BY ASSEMBLYMEMBER LAIRD PASS ASSEMBLY COMMITTEES." HT Media Ltd., 15 Apr. 2008. Web. 2 Mar. 2014.
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Pratt, Joseph A. “Exxon and the Control of Oil.” Journal of American History. 99.1 (2012): 145-154. Academic search elite. Web. 26. Jan. 2014.
One of the most controversial topics of today that affects the entire globe is climate change. Climate change is the change in global or regional climate patterns, which is greatly attributed to the increasing levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide produced by the use of fossil fuels. The video, “Climate Change 101” with Bill Nye, by National Geographic and the article, “Climate Threat to Wildlife May Have Been Massively Underreported”, written by Kacey Dreamer, do a fantastic job at bringing forth this controversial affair and how it is a huge issue, by which greatly effects the environment and the wild life on this planet. Both the article and video, on climate change, are very effective at expressing their argument by effectively using the
In the documentary, Blue Gold: World Water Wars, it follows several people and countries world-wide in their fight for fresh water. The film exposes giant corporations as they bully poorer developing countries to privatize their own supply of fresh water. As a result of the privatization, corporations make a hefty profit while the developing countries remain poor. Blue Gold: World Water Wars also highlights the fact that Wall Street investors are going after the desalination process and mass water export schemes. This documentary also shows how people in more developed nations are treating the water with much disregard, and not taking care of our finite supply. We are polluting, damming, and simply wasting our restricted supply of fresh water at an alarming speed. The movie also recognizes that our quick overdevelopment of housing and agriculture puts a large strain on our water supply and it results in desertification throughout the entire earth. The film shows how people in more industrialized nations typically take water for granted, while others in less industrialized nations have to fight for every drop.
Water has become a very controversial issue in the United States and around the world. As populations increase and resources decrease, the way we use our resources and keep populations safe become more and more important. Throughout the world there are nearly 1.1 billion people who do not have access the clean drinking water. 5 Most of these 1.1 billion people are located in poor areas and do not have the financial means to build the infrastructures needed to provide water to the citizens of their country. 5 Drinking water is an essential part of our everyday life. People must have water to survive, but it must be clean and safe to consume.
297-322. Ross, M. L. (2002). "The Species of a Spec Does Oil Hinder Democracy? World Politics, 53 (3), 325-361. Wantchekon, L. (1999).
" Oil is the life blood of our modern industrial society. It fuels the machines and lubricates the wheels of the world’s production. But when that vital resource is out of control, it can destroy marine life and devastate the environment and economy of an entire region…. The plain facts are that the technology of oil-- its extraction, its transport, its refinery and use-- has outpaced laws to control that technology and prevent oil from polluting the environment…" (Max, 1969). Oil in its many forms has become one of the necessities of modern industrial life. Under control, and serving its intended purpose, oil is efficient, versatile, and productive. On the other hand, when oil becomes out of control, it can be one of the most devastating substances in the environment. When spilled in water, it spreads for miles around leaving a black memory behind (Stanley, 1969).
"The Consequences of Global WarmingOn Wildlife." Consequences of Global Warming. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Feb. 2014. .
Thousands of species have become extinct over the last four decades as a result of changes in land use and as a result of global warming. Whether or not the millions of species can adapt and evolve to climate changes is debatable. As this brief overview will report, the human species is not adapting well to the changes. It must be remembered that increases in the levels of carbon dioxide are certainly responsible for the risk many species face, but so is the way land is used, e.g., rain forest destruction. There is a feedback loop wherein plant life and the climate are interdependent. Each affects the other. When forests are cut down, temperatures in that area will rise. Rising temperatures cause other plant life requiring cooler temperatures To die off.
“An introduction to climate change.” Natural Resource Defense Council. Natural Resources Defense Council 8 November 2015 n. pag. Web. 28 November 2015.
Water is the most important substance in our evolution and our daily lives. Without water,
Water is an essential nutrient that our body requires every day. Without water human life cannot be sustained. Water deprivation kills faster than lack of any other nutrient. People do not think of water as a nutrient and don’t realize the important role of water in the body functions.
Water is the most vital part of life. Water is needed from humans, to plants and other organisms, and to do basically everything. Water allows our bodily functions to work and to remove waste from our bodies. Plants need water to grow, and humans need plants to gr...
Freshwater in the world makes up only a small portion of the water on the planet. While the percentage of water in the world is nearly 70%, only 2.5% is consumable. Even further, only 1% is easily accessible to basic human needs. According to National Geographic, “by 2025, an estimated 1.8 billion people will live in areas plagued by water scarcity, with two-thirds of the world's population living in water-stressed regions as a result of use, growth, and climate change.” With this current trend, water will become more immersed in environmental, economic, political, and social changes.
Freshwater is quite scarce, but it is even scarcer than one might think: about seventy percent of all freshwater is frozen in the icecaps of Antarctica and Greenland and is unavailable to humans. Most of the remainder is present as soil moisture or lies in deep underground aquifers as groundwater. It is not economically feasible to extract this waster for use as drinking water. This leaves less than one percent of the world’s fresh water that is available to humans. It includes the water found in lakes, reservoirs, groundwater that is shallow enough to be tapped at an affordable cost. These freshwater sources are the only sources that are frequently replenished by rain and snowfall, and therefore are renewable. At the current rates of consumption, however, this supply of fresh water will not last. Pollution and contamination of freshwater sources exacerbate the problem, further reducing the amount of freshwater available for human consumption. Something must be done if humans want to even survive in the near future: the lack of clean drinking water is already the number one cause of disease in the world today. The first step is worldwide awareness of the water crisis: governments and the citizens they govern worldwide need to know about this problem and be actively involved in solving this problem.
Wetlands serve many purposes and are considered one of the most productive natural systems in the world. They serve as crucial "pit-stops" for migratory bird, house several species of plants and animals, cleanse and purify water, as well as providing utilitarian needs such as flood control (Allen, p.13). If fifteen percent of the wetlands destroyed in Ohio and Iowa would have been saved (over the history of wetland destruction), then two-thirds of the destructive flooding that happened throughout 1993 in the Midwest could have been prevented saving the U.S. a great deal of money. Maintaining the protection and restoration of the nation’s wetl...