Low Impact Living: A Thirsty Nation (part 1)
Editor’s note: Water, water everywhere… not exactly! As we’ve noted on a number of occasions, water issues loom just as large as some other environmental challenges currently facing us. Our friends at Low Impact Living have published a fascinating article on the subject, which we’ll present as a three-part series. Today’s post takes a look at the environmental impact of excessive water use; parts 2 and 3 will focus on how we use water in our homes, and how we can cut consumption without sacrificing quality of life. We’ll publish the last two part on Green Building Elements. If you can’t wait, visit LIL for the original publication of the article.
In the last few years, global warming has received all of the press. But shortages of fresh water are arguably the greater near-term environmental threat in many corners of the globe. In the Western United States, major die-offs of salmon have been attributed to too little clean water flowing downstream after cities and farms pulled out their allotments. In Australia, as much as 25%1 of farmland may soon be degraded due to water-related problems. And, many predict that future wars in the Mideast are as likely to be about water as they are to be about religion or energy.
Environmental Impacts of Excessive Water Use
Fresh water is at present a somewhat local commodity. Unlike some of the other environmental impacts we discuss on this website, such as petroleum use or global warming, water use in the United States primarily affects US residents (except for some limited overlaps with Mexico and Canada). This could easily change – the only thing that prevents the shipment of water over much larger distances is its weight and relatively low cost today compared to other commodities. And, in almost all other regions in the world, water supply issues are increasingly of international concern.
