Please enable JavaScript.

Coggle requires JavaScript to display documents.

Water Crisis - Coggle Diagram

- - - - we tend to abuse the resources that we have easy access to
      - increase in human population creates an increased strain on limited resources, which jeopardizes sustainability.
      - degradation causes loss of benefits to all users, the addition of one more consumer that consumes at their own interest ultimately adds to the depletion of resource
      - stems from overexploitation
    - - it's not a personal possession and the consequence is diffused as everyone is affected by this overexploitation
      - free/ not reasonably priced, people don't really mind wasting it as it's cheap and there appears to be so much of it
      - it's not something that we are forced to put in effort into obtaining, so we dont take good care / cherish it - it's almost too "easy"
  - - - drinking (physiological processes), industrial (coolants), agricultural (irrigation), hydropower (dams)
    - - loss of habitat, compromised their right to exist, compromise rivers ability to support healthy fish stocks
      - we pollute, abstract and change water quality + quantity
      - we forget that water is the habitat of aquatic organisms
    - - rely heavily on aquatic animals for food and livelihood (fishermen)
      - cultural significance
  - - - no efforts into ensuring sustainable water resource management
      - no reasonable water pricing
        
        too cheap, doesn't reflect it's ecological cost
        
        e.g. in Malaysia, anyone can take water from a river even if it negatively impacts downstream users
      - not sustainable or sensible management
- - - - blamed on El Nino, despite rainfall patterns being average, even had the highest recorded rainfall in some affected areas
  - - - extreme event are even important for people and ecosystems
      - Hydrological variability & People:
        
        flood recession agriculture
        
        relies on residual soil moisture and nutrients left by receding flood water
        
        occasionally flooding agricultural land
        -> fertile soil as water nourishes crops
- - - - 1% of global surface area, but support 10% of all known species
      - disproportionately important but under very high threat as they're rich in biodiversity
      - we keep causing changes in H2O volume and chemistry and this alters their habitats (e.g. dams/ hydropower)
    - - recreation, food, clean water give a direct revenue of : 65 trillion per year to global economy
      - but our ability to obtain/secure these services are compromised by overexploitation
        
        karma, we are suffering in our own consequences
  - - - some history of conflict over water, few wars have been fought specifically over water, only in small scales are is unlikely to lead to national conflict.
      - the 'past as predictor of future' logic is compelling and comforting but dangerously myopic (lazy, foolish, uncritical criticizing)
      - the future may look nothing like the past: population growth in an area of climate extremes -> increases stress and demand which all in turn exacerbates the crisis
- - - - Deterioration: associated with Industrial Revolution and Intensification of Agriculture but was over 100 years ago
      - recent improvements (last 40 years) by deindustrialisation / industrial decline
      - Improved agricultural practices and new policies / legislation
      - major economic re-structuring: service sector based e.g. banking and ecommerce -> don't pollute in the same way as 100 years ago
      - economy realigned, incidental improvement in H2O quality
    - - Deterioration: newly industrialised / industrialising economies
        
        China and India
      - heavy industrial processes: ship building, steel manufacturing
        
        The steel industry is the third-largest contributor to air pollution and one of the largest contributors to emissions of carbon dioxide.
        
        Steel particularly requires coal for energy, so a lot of emission is caused by coal combustion
        
        Wastewater from the coking process is also highly toxic and contains a number of carcinogenic organic compounds as well as cyanide, sulfides, ammonium and ammonia.
      - poor water quality standards, management and legislation
        
        few constraints on pollution
      - now experiencing deterioration as in WEU/NA 50 years ago
      - e.g. India
        
        only 10% of waste water is treated
        
        major increase in industrial pollution from chemical processing & food production
        
        in Delhi, 57% of all wastewater goes into Yamuna River, causing fecal coliform problems (sewage contamination)
  - - - contraceptives
      - skin care, hygiene products being washed down the sink
    - - skin care, washing clothes
      - on average, we ingest enough microplastics in a week to make a credit card