Are there too many people? Billions are suffering from water shortages — and it is getting worse. Some people blame overpopulation. Others think the solution is better management.
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Quarter of humans face 'extreme water stress'
Are there too many people? Billions are suffering from water shortages - and it is getting worse. Some people blame overpopulation. Others think the solution is better management.
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What's happening?
The year is 2100. The world has run out of water. There is not enough water for everyone to drink, and not enough for everyone to wash or grow food or make energy. The entire planet is suffering from droughtA time when there is not enough water and the ground is very dry. .
This is the future some scientists are worried about. New research shows that a quarter of all of the people on the planet already do not have enough water to meet their basic needs.
There are 326 million trillionOne thousand times bigger than a billion. gallons of water on the Earth. But only 1% of it is the freshwaterWater with no or low amounts of salt in it. Rivers are freshwater. we need to survive.
At the moment, the problem is getting worse. Each year, people need more and more water. Soon, more people could be without the water they need.
Find out more
One reason for this is the planet's growing populationAll of the people that live in a place.. In 2000, this was just over six billion. Today it is eight billion. By 2100, 11.2 billion people could live on Earth. And the more people there are, the more water is needed.
Some scientists think the Earth cannot cope with so many billions of people. The problems we have now are harder to find answers for with more people, and easier to find answers for with less.
But others think that population size is not the main problem. We wasteTo use something improperly or without needing it. water all the time. Every day in the United Kingdom alone, three billion litres of water are wasted - about 25% of the total use. Most of this comes from leaking pipes. We could fix them to save water.
Las Vegas, a city in the USA, is built in the desert. The city has found ways to save water, such as getting rid of lawns and banning home swimming pools. Other cities could learn from Las Vegas.
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Are there too many people?
Yes! Four billion people are without the water they need every year. As the number of people on Earth grows, this problem will get much worse.
No! We often think about our worst fears, but they rarely come true. Humans are very good at finding answers to difficult problems. We will find new ways to save and reuse water.
Keywords
Drought - A time when there is not enough water and the ground is very dry.
Trillion - One thousand times bigger than a billion.
Freshwater - Water with no or low amounts of salt in it. Rivers are freshwater.
Population - All of the people that live in a place.
Waste - To use something improperly or without needing it.
Quarter of humans face ‘extreme water stress’
Turning tides: Twenty-five countries are already using 80% of their water supplies every year. Glossary
Drought - A time when there is not enough water and the ground is very dry.
Trillion - One thousand times bigger than a billion.
Freshwater - Water with no or low amounts of salt in it. Rivers are freshwater.
Population - All of the people that live in a place.
Waste - To use something improperly or without needing it.