What exactly is water?
Water is a substance that is made of hydrogen and oxygen. It is home to many living organisms, such as fish and amphibians. Water is the most common drinkable liquid used for hydration.
How does water impact the planet?
Hydration
Water is the most commonly consumed liquid and is widely available in most parts of the world. Water makes up approximately 60% of the adult human body and is used to maintain essential functions.
Creation of water
The powerful tropical cyclones that become hurricanes depend on still, warm water for their creation. As warm water near the surface rises, and as it cools down, it discharges the rain and pours down. When this happens, a hurricane is born.
Harm to lifeforms
Despite the fact that water is clearly necessary for life and that we cannot survive without it, it can still cause havoc around the world. Water is the primary cause of natural disasters such as floods, landslides, and storms. Global warming is causing sea level rise, which can lead to flooding.
Sustainability of water
Only about three percent of Earth’s water is freshwater, and two percent of that number is frozen. On Earth, there are approximately one thousand quintillion liters of water. The international goal is to provide at least twenty liters of clean water to every person every day. This is not impossible, but it is a very ambitious plan given that approximately two billion people still lack access to safe drinking water. And of course, achieving that goal will take a significant amount of money and most likely cause political problems.
Water Pollution
Water is undeniably necessary for life on Earth. Humans, on the other hand, have been polluting the water. When harmful substances such as chemicals and microorganisms contaminate an ocean, stream, river, lake, or other body of water, water pollution occurs (Denchak, 2022). The majority of the pollution occurs because of oil. It is estimated that one million tons of oil are spilled into bodies of water each year, and nearly half of that amount comes not from tank spills but from land-based, human-made sources such as factories, farms, and cities (Denchak, 2023).
Conclusion
Water has recently caused a lot of trouble for humans and wildlife due to water pollution and global warming. This is obvious now that we know more about our planet. One in every three people does not even have access to safe drinking water. The first step toward making this planet a better, more reliable place is to try to prevent global warming and reduce pollution rates.
References
Denchak, M. (2022). Water Pollution: Everything You Need to Know. [online] NRDC. Available at: https://www.nrdc.org/stories/water-pollution-everything-you-need-know [Accessed 20 January 2023].
