GLOBAL
ISSUES
01 all countries are equal?
we only ate genetically
WHAT IF…
02
modified food?
03 everyone had clean
water to drink?
04 all power was
renewable?
Global issues includes:
Water Energy Population Communication
GLOBAL
WATER
SUPPLY
Water Security
refers to the availability of adequate, clean
water to support health, well-being, and
economic growth.
Water insecurity
When regions lack enough safe water, they face water
insecurity or water scarcity. This can result from physical
factors affecting supply, such as insufficient rainfall or
saltwater intrusion into underground reservoirs
(aquifers).
Water Scarcity
Physical scarcity
Occurs in areas with low rainfall, such as arid and semi-arid regions.
Economic scarcity
Found in regions with water resources but lacking the infrastructure to
utilise them effectively.
Water scarcity affects every continent except
Antarctica, with Africa experiencing the most severe
and widespread conditions. The UN estimates that
approximately 1.2 billion people suffer from physical
water scarcity, while another 1.5 billion experience
economic scarcity.
GLOBAL PATTERNS
OF WATER
SURPLUS AND
DEFICIT
Global patterns of water
surplus and deficit are
shown in the map.
Regions with a water
surplus, where supply
exceeds demand,
include North America,
Europe, and parts of
Asia. Conversely, areas
with a water deficit,
where demand exceeds
Countries around the world facing water surplus and deficit. supply, are under
pressure.
Regions with high rainfall typically enjoy a water surplus,
while areas with low rainfall, such as deserts, are more
likely to have a water deficit.
High population density and industrial activity increase
water demand, potentially leading to water deficits if the
supply is inadequate.
Conversely, areas with low rainfall and low demand might
still maintain a water surplus.
What is water stress?
Water stress occurs when the demand for water exceeds the
available amount during a certain period or when poor quality
restricts its use.
High water stress occurs when more than 80% of available water is used
annually, posing a risk of water scarcity.
A country begins to face water stress when the per capita water availability falls
below 1700 cubic meters per year.
If this availability drops below 1000 cubic meters, water stress can hinder
economic development and negatively impact human health and well-being.
Regions with significant water stress include several Caribbean islands, Bahrain,
and Cyprus.
What is water stress?
Water stress takes into account several physical factors that are
related to water resources. These includes:
Water scarcity
water quality
accessibility of water
environmental flows (the quality, quantity and timing of water flow
needed to maintain healthy ecosystems in streams, rivers, and the
estuaries they feed.)
What are the reasons for increasing water consumption?
Global water consumption has significantly increased over
the last few decades due to population growth, economic
development, and agriculture.
What are the reasons for increasing water consumption?
Changes in lifestyle and eating habits have increased the a
average use per head.
Global demand for food is expected to increase by 70 percent
by 2050- water is used to irrigate crops and in food
processing.
All sources of energy require water in their production. Global
energy consumption is expected to increase by 50 percent by
2035.
As urbanisation increases, more water is needed for drinking,
sanitation and drainage.
Factors affecting water availability
Geology - infiltration of water through permeable rock builds
up important ground water supplies.
Climate-regions with high rainfall usually have surplus water.
Those with drier climates have less water available.
Over-abstraction -pumping water out of grounds faster. This
can cause well to dry up, sinking water tables and higher
pumping costs.
Factors affecting water availability
Pollution- increasing amount of waste and growing use of
chemicals in farming have led to higher levels of pollution.
Limited infrastructure
Poverty
What are the impacts of water insecurity?
Waterborne disease and water pollution
In many LICs and NEEs, inadequate sanitation caused by rivers
polluted by domestic and industrial waste, open sewers and
untreated drinking water enable waterborne diseases to thrive.
Unsanitary conditions and unsafe drinking water can cause
outbreaks of life-threatening diseases such as cholera and
dysentery. Productivity also reduces when people queue to
obtain drinking water from standpipes.
Ganges River
What are the impacts of water insecurity?
Food production
Agriculture uses 70 per cent of the global water supply and
suffers the most from water insecurity. Those regions that
experience low, unreliable rainfall are most at risk from water
insecurity. The USA supplies thirty per cent of the world’s wheat,
rice and maize. The country is affected by droughts, which can
impact global food production and supply.
What are the impacts of water insecurity?
Industrial output
The development of manufacturing in NEEs is placing increasing
demands on water supplies. Estimates suggest that 33 per cent
of China’s available water will be used by industry by 2030. A
water shortage costs China US$40 billion in lowered industrial
production, leading to the temporary closure of some factories.
What are the impacts of water insecurity?
Potential for conflict where demand exceeds supply
Historically, wars have been fought over natural resources such
as oil. However, future conflicts are likely to be over water.
Water sources like aquifers and rivers cross many political and
national borders. The construction of dams and water extraction
in one country has the potential to cause further problems along
the course of a river.
What are the impacts of water insecurity?
Potential for conflict where demand exceeds supply
European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC) says that
the effects of climate change will be combined with an ever-
increasing number of people to trigger intense competition for
increasingly scarce water resources. In particular, the five most
vulnerable hotspots highlighted by the paper include the Nile,
Ganges-Brahmaputra, Indus, Tigris-Euphrates, and Colorado
rivers. The map below highlights areas at risk of potential conflict
over water.
Likelihood of water
conflict
Strategies to increase water supply
Diverting supplies and increasing storage
Dams and reservoirs
Water transfers
Desalination
Diverting supplies an increasing storage
In some parts of the world, evaporation can rapidly deplete
water supplies.
To overcome this, some countries divert surface water and
pump it underground to be stored in aquifers.
An example is Oklahoma, the USA, where water is stored
deep underground and can be used when water availability
is low..
Dams and reservoir
Through the construction of dams, water can be controlled
by creating reservoirs.
Water can be stored in reservoirs during periods of water
surplus and released when it is needed for activities such as
irrigation.
Many dams are also used to generate hydroelectric power
(HEP) and control downstream flooding.
Dams and reservoir
Despite the benefits dams and reservoirs can bring, they
have disadvantages.
Dams and reservoirs are costly to construct and can lead to
people’s displacement, farmland flooding and the loss of
ecosystems.
The Three Gorges Dam in China displaced thousands of
people and flooded a number of settlements.
Dams and reservoir
Water transfers
Water transfer schemes move water from areas of surplus to
areas of water deficit using pipelines or canals.
Although the schemes can be costly, they are very effective
and can be found in both HICs and LICs/NEEs.
There are several water transfer schemes in the UK.
Water transfer scheme
Desalination
Desalination involves
removing salt from
seawater to create fresh
water. The process is
very energy-intensive
and expensive, so it is
only a viable option in
HICs.
Desalination Plant in Lanzarote, Spain
Desalination currently occurs in
Australia, Saudi Arabia, Israel,
Spain and the USA.
In the future, desalination may
become more common in NEEs
as the increasing demand for
freshwater restricts economic
development.
Desalination Plant in Lanzarote, Spain
Desalination is not without its
environmental impacts.
Salt waste can damage
ecosystems along with the high
carbon emissions due to energy
demands.
Activity
Explain the pros and cons of the strategies
to increase water supply.
Desalination Plant in Lanzarote, Spain
Desalination is not without its
environmental impacts.
Salt waste can damage
ecosystems along with the high
carbon emissions due to energy
demands.
Social Studies
Activities Subject
Learning Objectives
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