Article - http://www.economist.com/world/international/displaystory.cfm?story_id=12260907
Summary
The article I read about was found on The Economist website. It mainly talked about a water shortage in many farming regions, such as Africa and the Middle East, and how there are many ways to prevent this. As Colin Chartres, International Water Management Institute’s director-general, put it, to prevent further water shortage, farmers need to increase efficient use of water. Mr. Frérot, the head of the water division of Veolia Environnement, a French firm, stated that up to 70% of the water used for farming never reaches the fields. Many ideas were proposed to save water, such as investments in drip irrigation, cut water consumption for flooding rice paddy fields, and growing fewer crops that require water.
Connections
The main concept that can be connected to the article would be scarcity. Water was believed in the past as a renewable resource, and because of that, people have been taking it for granted. With the increase in greenhouse gases over the past few decades, the glaciers up in the North and South Poles are slowly melting, thus reducing the fresh water supply. The inefficient use of water by farmers also contributes to this factor, as farming accounts for roughly 70% of human consumption of water. Unless advance technology or better techniques are implemented, water scarcity would not only affect developing countries, but the rest of the world as well.
Reflection
The shortage of water is and should be a major concern for all of us, even though it might not seem to affect our current lives. Water is essential to humans, as almost everything we consume contains water. Preserving our water supply will help us currently and in the future. Many of the ideas to save water are very effective, and they should be implemented, even if the costs might be a bit high. Unless changes to prevent global warming from occurring are made, water is going to get scarcer through the years. While the problem is still manageable, precautions should be made for the good of future generations.
