Water shortage and climate change
Pollution whether in air, land, or water is a precursor to climate change. The more polluted the environment we live in the more greenhouse gases is released to the atmosphere causing global warming which in effect causes a shift in the temperature and climate over a specified region. Water shortage is another spawn of climate change and global warming. In a study by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) it reported that 200 scientists in 50 countries identified water shortage, other than global warming, is one of the two most worrying problems of the new millennium. Water covers about two-thirds of the Earth’s surface but only 2.5% of the world’s water is not salty, and two-thirds of that water is locked up in the icecaps and glaciers. 20% of water that is left is in remote areas, and much of the rest arrives by way of monsoons, storms, and floods. It is estimated that by 2020 we will need 17% more water if we are to feed the world. One of the reasons for water crisis is over population and a desire for better living standards. Irrigation is also one of the reasons for the water crisis as this allows wastage on a large scale with water trickling away or simply evaporating before it can do any good. Water pollution also makes the rest of our water supply unfit for consumption. Governments are seeking alternative solutions to resolving the water crisis by tapping on subterranean supplies of groundwater however, this is not practical