GEF

7 Introduction 77 UNIT 4 The Global Water Crisis Objectives In thisunit studentswill learn to: ■■ Understand thecausesofwaterscarcity and itsaffectoncommunitiesworldwide. ■■ Explainwaterconservation tools. ■■ Describe the impactofclimatechange on theglobalwatercrisis. ■■ Analyzevariousconflictsaroundwater. ■■ Explainmodern theoriesabout the economicsofwater. ■■ Describe the trendofgovernments toward implementing sustainablewater useandmanagement. UNIT4 | TheGlobalWaTerCrIsIs 78 Today,aboutone-thirdof theEarth’spopulation is suffer- ing from lackofaccess toclean freshwater. Inmany regions, peopleare forced to relyonpollutedandunsafewater sources, placinga severeburdenonhealthand limitingopportunities foreconomicdevelopment.Surfacewater,groundwater,and aquaticecosystemsareunderheavypressureaspopulations growandpeopleappropriategrowingamountsofwater for agriculture, industry,anddomesticuse.Climatechange is alsoaltering the supplyanddistributionof freshwaterdue to increaseddrought,flooding,andmeltingglaciers. In thisunit wewillexplorehow these factorsarecoming together ina globalwatercrisis that isbeginning to sparkconflictsbetween peoplearound theworld. The BIG IDea UNIT 4 selF-assessMeNT Beforebeginning thisunit,considerwhatyoualreadyknowabout theglobalwater crisisbycompleting this self-assessment.Foreach statementbelow, rateyourcurrent levelofconfidencewithunderstanding sustainablewaterconcepts. NOT CONFIDENT SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT CONFIDENT Icandescribe theglobalwatercrisis,peak water,and theircauses. ❍ ❍ ❍ Icanexplainhowwaterscarcitycontributes to urgenthealthproblems in thedevelopingworld. ❍ ❍ ❍ Icanexplainat leasttwowaterconservationtools. ❍ ❍ ❍ Icandescribehowclimatechange is contributing to theglobalwatercrisis. ❍ ❍ ❍ Icanexplainhowwaterscarcity iscontributing to internationalconflictandcooperation. ❍ ❍ ❍ Icandescribehoweconomics is influencing wateruseandgivingrisetonewwaterchallenges ❍ ❍ ❍ Each unit begins with a list of objectives, outlining the key topics covered in the text. The Big Idea places the main focus of the unit into context. A Self-Assessment at the start of the unit gives you the opportunity to consider what you already know about the key concepts, and how you might expand that knowledge.