GEF

Unit 3  |  Primary Sustainability Issues 76 in China, the Nile in Egypt, and the Colorado in the U.S.) now frequently run dry. The expansion of the electronics and solar industry further adds to this problem, since the manufacture of silicon chips and other electronic components is extremely water-intensive. 70 percent of the world’s fresh water use is dedicated to agri- culture, making water conservation programs directed at farmers extremely important. In much of the world, agriculture depends on pumping groundwater for irrigation. According to a 2010 study, the rate of groundwater depletion around the world doubled between 1960 and 2000. Currently, agricultural irrigation is depleting fossil water in underground aquifers , such as the Ogallala Aquifer in the central U.S. Water from this aquifer provides about 30 percent of the nation’s groundwater. Some researchers claim that due to unsustainable use, it will be depleted by 2035. A 2006 United Nations study concluded that overuse of groundwater is the greatest threat to worldwide freshwater resources. As a result of continued groundwater depletion, the study predicted a variety of consequences over the next decade, including loss of farmland, food shortages, damage to fisheries, and rising malnutrition and disease. Agricultural irrigation uses 70% of the world’s fresh water. AQUIFERS Underground layers of porous rock that allow the movement of water between layers of non-porous rock; they are important and critical sources of water for agriculture in many parts of the world.