Fresh water: a review

Having finished studying the ‘Global Environmental Change’ module a conclusion post is in order to summarise what the blog has discussed, although I intend to continue updating it as I believe this is only the beginning of the huge challenge that faces the world regarding water security.

Having covered subjects ranging from conflicts sparked by water and transboundary water disagreements, to the effects on global biodiversity of overuse and contamination of water resources a few things have become obvious.

Firstly, water security, and for that matter many of the other major problems posed to the world, cannot be dealt with in isolation. There are complex trade-offs which exist between the varying needs of the human population, such as water, food and energy, and the need to preserve our environment.

Secondly, the problems that we see today with regards to water scarcity and quality are only going to deteriorate in many regions, especially poorer ones. Climate change, increasing populations and economic growth lead to greater demand for the world’s depleting natural resources meaning careful management of what we have left is required.

Lastly, writing this blog has reinforced my belief that water will remain the most important natural resource on the planet, especially as the world looks to move away from fossil fuels throughout this century. Water is needed to produce food, energy and most other products available and a lack of it can have drastic consequences.

For the world to enjoy growth and development whilst keeping negative environmental effects to a minimum, water resources must be handled carefully. In my opinion further policy changes (ranging from pricing of water to stop overuse, to laws that ensure environmental protection) and cooperation between nations is needed to ensure that the number of people living in water-stressed regions falls, rather than rises.