“Wonderful Stuff This Water!!”

Climate Change is primarily a water crisis. We feel its impacts through worsening floods, rising sea levels, shrinking ice fields, wildfires and droughts.

For more information, have a look at this article.

“The earth, the air, the land, and the water are not an inheritance from our forefathers but on loan from our children.” – Gandhi

To create a healthier and more peaceful future for our children it is vital that we manage the fresh water that we have been given in a more sensible and equitable way. The UN has this as an important part of their sustainable development goals.

World Water Day

World Water Day this year was on March 22nd. This day is designated by the United Nations to highlight the importance of fresh water. It is also used to promote the sustainable management of freshwater resources. In 2025 the theme of this day is Glacier Preservation.

Fresh water is one of the most precious gifts that we has been given by Nature. We cannot live without water.

“Water is the driving force of all Nature” – Leonardo Da Vinci

Water covers 70% of our planet. However, according to WWF, only 3% of that water is fresh, and two thirds of that is tucked away (for now) in frozen glaciers, or is otherwise unavailable for use. Many of the water systems that keep life on Earth thriving are becoming stressed, and rivers, lakes and aquifers (underground natural water storage) are drying up. So there isn’t as much as it seems. Our population is still growing. Our water cycle is changing to become more unpredictable.

We all need water to drink, to grow our food, to bathe and to clean our clothes. In developed countries we also want water to clean our cars, to brush our teeth, to fill our swimming pools, to water our gardens and our golf courses. This is an incredible luxury, and one that many countries are struggling to sustain. It is also very unfair.

Shortage of Clean Water

In developing countries where there is a clean water shortage, they suffer from scarcity of drinking water and poor infrastructure for water and sanitation. Over one billion people in developing countries have inadequate access to clean water, according to Wikipedia.

The World Health Organisation states that one and a half billion people worldwide do not have access to basic sanitation services (like toilets or latrines).

This article by Reuters shows that “access to clean water and adequate sanitation is critical in preventing tropical diseases that cause blindness, disfigurement and death, and affect more than 1.4 billion people in 149 countries.”

Carl Sagan put it very nicely ““Anything else you’re interested in is not going to happen if you can’t breathe the air or drink the water.” Caring for our fresh water is something we seem to be very bad at. Sharing it equitably is also a problem and globally there are a huge number of interstate disputes over water sharing.

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There are many issues with our water supplies and in particular now with Climate Change we need to be much less cavalier about its use and protection.

There are places where there is too little and places where there is too much water. Increasingly there are places where water arrives unpredictably and a large number of places where we don’t treat it well so the quality is bad. Bad management of our water supplies is contributing to scarcity, ill health, poverty and starvation on a global basis.

Too Little Water

This article shows that global drought threatens food supplies and energy production. Several regions of the world have experienced major droughts over the last year, leaving millions of people in very precarious situations as regards their food supplies. Also a number of large rivers whose waters are required for hydroelectricity are suffering from very low levels of water thus threatening businesses and livelihoods.

Too Much Water

An article in Nature shows that flooding is becoming one of the most prevalent natural hazards, with particularly drastic impacts in low-income countries.

Another article shows that the wider the gap between rich and poor, the more people die from flooding.

Clearly the increase in flooding is affecting poor people more. An obvious injustice as the emissions that are causing Climate Change are much more likely to have been produced by rich countries.

Unpredictability of Water Supplies

Farmers worldwide are now having major problems not just with the amount of their rainfall but also the timing. This applies particularly to subsistence farmers who are reliant on rainfall, especially for their planting. See this article on Indian farmers and the monsoon rains.

Water Quality

This is a problem globally for many reasons but here is a recent article about the UK which discusses the problems that the country is having with its sewage. It shows “Pollution plagues our rivers, seas and coasts, making us sick, spoiling our favourite swim spots, destroying delicate ecosystems, killing our wildlife, and threatening ocean recovery.” That seems fairly plain. This article from the Guardian newspaper last year backs it up with this plea: “Call for environmental emergency to be declared after data reveals 105% rise in raw sewage discharges over past 12 months”

World Water Day 2025 Call for Glacier Preservation

Perito Moreno Glacier in Argentina

Glacier meltwater is life-sustaining for billions of people on this planet. However because of rising global temperatures the nature of the waterflows is changing and causing floods, droughts, landslides and sea level rise. This article shows that this meltwater is critical for many aspects of people’s lives. For example it is vital in access to drinking water, for agriculture, industry, clean energy production and healthy eco-systems. In parts of the Himalayas where the temperatures are increasing fast, one billion people are dependent on meltwater from the region’s major rivers. Clearly something needs to be done.

What Can the World Do about the Danger to this Critical Supply?

• Stop using Fossil Fuels.
• Think about how we are using our water. This report shows that 70% of the world’s freshwater is used for agriculture, and 40% of that is wasted due to inadequate irrigation systems, evaporation and poor water management. We can do better!
• Think about the cereals, fruit and nuts we grow and ask if there is something better we can do. Cow’s milk takes 628 litres of fresh water to produce 1 litre of milk, almond milk takes 371 and oat milk 48.

We can manage our water much better, build modern sewers, fix old pipes and limit water use for some things. We can save waste and we must support developing countries adapt to the new water environment.

What Can You Do to Save Water?

• Work to reduce your carbon footprint. Carbon emissions cause Climate Change which heats the planet and affects our weather.
• There are lots of little things you can do, like not running the water when you clean your teeth or rinsing your plates after a meal. Have showers instead of baths and have “navy” showers when you do. Save up your dirty clothes and use a full washing machine.
• If you must wash your car, then do it less often and think about the water you are using.
• Water outdoor plants in the morning or at the end of the day. This saves evaporation.
• Fix broken taps and pipes.
• Think about the food you eat and how much water it uses to produce it.
• Reduce food waste.
• Complain to your politicians about the water quality if it is bad.
• Get water barrels for your garden.
• Appreciate the water you have and look after it.

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Photos by Doreen Hosking and by Sergey Pesterev, Justin Wilkens and Jonas Ducker on Unsplash