This book examines some of the major water-related challenges that societies around the globe face in their efforts to achieve and maintain sustainable growth. It is also a discussion of some of the paths that many of the most threatened water suppliers are following in their efforts to overcome these barriers. After the first two introductory chapters, the book focuses on the barriers contributing most to water scarcity in regions where sustainable water supplies are paramount, and on the actions now underway to achieve sustainability . My goal has been to find and report answers to such questions about global water sustainability as: What do we mean when we talk about achieving a sustainable future? What is waterās role in achieving and maintaining that sustainability? How does population growth affect a sustainable water supply? What effect is the global migration towards cities having on water sustainability? What effect does water sustainability have on the problem of global food scarcity? How and why does water shape the sustainable economic health of societies? What are the worldās leaders doing to achieve water, food, and development sustainability?
Defining Sustainability
The way to start answering these questions is to agree on a definition of sustainability. To begin, when researchers use the term āsustainability ā they are usually referring to development that entails the prudent use of natural resources at levels that are unlikely to damage the environment while ensuring their availability for future generations as well. The term is often used in concert with the concept of economic growth, as in achieving and maintaining a sustainable quality of life with economic growth. Too often, however, less attention is given to the environmental protection clause in that definition and far more attention is given to development.
Stainability has also been defined in many other ways, depending on the objective or action that is to be sustained. One definition often seen is: sustainability is āthe physical development and institutional operating practices that meet the needs of present users without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs, particularly with regard to use and waste of natural resources.ā
The most commonly accepted official definition of sustainable development today is the definition included in the 1987 report of United Nationsā World Commission on Environment and Development. Named after its chairperson, the Brundtland Commission Report states: āSustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.ā Hence, it assumes that a sustainable future is one in which resources are used at a replaceable rate, and one that ensures their availability for future generations.
Looming Water Scarcity
World food production is being threatened by water scarcity problems that in many locations are already cutting into efforts at achieving food sustainability . Changes in precipitation patterns and increasing and longer-lasting droughts associated with climate change are limiting production. Population growth and urbanization are fast bringing an end to family farming as more farmland is taken out of production. The Swiss nonprofit organization World Economic Forum forecasts that half of the world production of grains that have high water use such as wheat and rice will be subject to water stress by 2050. Long-term drought in the American West and an earlier series of droughts in Australia have resulted in forced water reductions in irrigation water allocation and the resulting reduction in agriculture production are costing billions of dollars in agriculture production.
In recognition of the water scarcity predicted for many parts of the globe possibly as soon as 2025, the UN established a program of action to occur from 2005 to 2015, labeling it the Water for Life Decade. The following statement on the relationship between water and sustainable agriculture was included in the description of the UNās focus on water and agriculture (UN 2014):
A sustainable source of fresh water is key to food security. Crops and livestock need water to grow. Agriculture requires large quantities of water for irrigation and of good quality for various production processes. While feeding the world and producing a diverse range of non-food crops such as cotton, rubber and industrial oils in an increasingly productive way, agriculture [is] also ā¦ the biggest user of water on the globe. Irrigation now claims close to 70 percent of all freshwater appropriated for human use ā¦ There is enough water available for our global future needs, but this world picture hides large areas of absolute water scarcity which affects billions of people, many of whom are poor and disadvantaged. Major changes in policy and management, across the entire agricultural production chain, are needed to ensure best use of available water resources in meeting growing demands for food and other agricultural products.
Water security means ensuring that a supply of clean water is available for human uses and for other living things (Schnoor 2010). Water sustainability also means ensuring that water security can be maintained not only for this generation, but for all future generations as well. However, water sustainability is at risk due to the combined effects of human activity and shifting natural phenomena. Many scientists consider the following activities to be the contributing causes of growing risks to water sustainability:
- Climate change caused by concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere,
- Shifting precipitation patterns with more and greater extreme weather events,
- The melting of polar icepacks and glaciers,
- Excessive groundwater withdrawals,
- Increased water demand from population growth , and
- The critical need for water and sanitary infrastructure associated with urbanization .
Global warming refers to an increase in the Earthās average surface temperature from the burning of greenhouse gas emissions. Changes in the Earthās average surface temperature are resulting in changes in traditional climate and precipitation patterns. Changes in precipitation are resulting in more severe and longer periods of droughts in some areas and flooding in others. Global warming is also resulting in variations in the amounts of snowfall and earlier snowpack thawing. Rising sea levels from sea ice melting are also associated with climate change . The relationship between global warming and the burning of fossil fuels with the resulting greenhouse gas rise was explained in this NASA report:
In its Fifth Assessment Report, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change , a group of 1,300 independent scientific experts from countries all over the world under the auspices of the United Nations, concluded there is a more than 95 percent probability that human activities over the past 50 years have warmed our planet. The industrial activities that our modern civilization depends upon have raised atmospheric carbon dioxide levels from 280 parts per million to 400 parts per million over the last 150 years. The panel also concluded thereās a better than 95 percent probability that human-produced greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide have caused much of the observed increase in Earthās temperatures over the past 50 years.
Three Water Crises
A Columbia University meta-analysis of the then current research on water sustainability identified three types of crises resulting from the ongoing world water supply problem (Lall et al. 2008). The first is a crisis of access to safe drinking water, including governmentsā inability to supply appropriate infrastructure. The second is a crisis of water pollution , including pollution resulting from changes associated with resource-use changes caused by climate change . The third is a crisis of water supply security.
The Crisis of Access
A World Health Organization (WHO) progress report on achieving sustainability goals published in 2017 included an amended and updated list of goals that included water security . First on the list of water goals was achieving universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water for all (WHO 2017). The WHO report added that in 2015, some 2.1 billion people lacked access to a supply of safe, available water at home. In 2015, 844 million still lacked even the most basic drinking water service; 263 million people (mostly women and children) had to walk more than 30 minuets to collect water from a treated source; and 169 million still collected their untreated water from an open surface water sourceāsome of which were three or more hours from away. However, much progress has taken place toward the goal of ensuring that all persons have access to safe water. The number of people with some access to safe drinking water grew from 77% in 1990 to 83% in 2002 and 89% in 2015. More than 1 billion people gained access to piped water between 2000 and 2015. While WHO and other agencies are having continued success in their goals of achieving global access to water and sanitation facilities for all, achieving 2030 goals requires much more work. The UN adopted 2030 sustainable development goals agenda that included goals for water, sanitation and hygiene (WHO 2017, 7). The 2030 water access goals are:
- 1.Achieving universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water for all.
- 2.Substantially increase water-use efficiency across all sectors and ensure sustainable withdrawals and supply of freshwater to address water scarcity and substantially reduce the number of people suffering from water scarcity.
- 3.Implement integrated water resources management (IWM) at all levels, including through transboundary cooperation as appropriate.
- 4.Expand international cooperation and capacity-building support to developing countries in water and sanitation-related activities and programs.
- 5.Support and strengthen participation of local communities in improving water and sanitary management.