GEF

10 Introduction UNIT4 | TheGlobalWaTerCrIsIs 90 responsible forhundredsofdeathsandabout$3billion in propertydamage.While it is impossible to solelyblameclimate change for thesedestructivefloods,climate scientistsmaintain thatmoreextremeflooding isoneof theexpectedoutcomesof climatechange. Floods (top)anddrought (bottom)areexamplesofextremeweather systems resulting fromclimatechange. ? DIDYOUKNOW TheWaterFootprint Networkestimates thatone cupofcoffee is responsible forabout thirty-fourgallons ofwateruse.Other familiar productscanbe similarly surprising.Approximately 600gallonsofwatergo intoa singlehamburger, and500gallonsgo intoa cottonT-shirt. Did You Know? sidebars introduce facts and notes about water sustainability issues. UNIT4 | TheGlobalWaTerCrIsIs 102 4.6 Unit Review ■■ There isanemergingglobalwatercrisis.Allcountriesare negatively impacted,butmanydevelopingcountriesare severely threatenedbywaterscarcityandpoorwaterquality. ■■ Climatechange ishavingagrowing impactonwater sup- pliesdue tomoreextremeweather,droughts,floods,and shrinkingglaciers. ■■ Thewatercrisis is sparking some internationalconflicts,but isalsoencouragingcollaborationbetweennations. ■■ In someareas,water isbeing treatedasaneconomicgood. Thisapproach is raisingmanyquestionsaroundequityand theownershipandcontrolofnatural resources. ■■ Thewatercrisis isgiving rise toamore international,sustain- able,andcollaborativeapproach towatermanagement. The last section in each unit is the Unit Review, a bulleted list that summarizes the key concepts covered in the unit.