Less than one percent of the planet’s entire supply of freshwater can be used by humans and ecosystems but we are using these limited resources faster than they can be replenished.
According to the U.N. World Water Development Report (WWDR), at our current rate of consumption we would require about 3.5 Earths to meet the demand from Europeans and North Americans.
The Barilla Center for Food & Nutrition (BCFN) reports that if everyone on the planet acquired the same water consumption habits of the Western world we would see a 75 percent increase in water usage.
As noted by the U.N. Environment Programme (UNEP) two thirds of the world’s population will be living in areas with water scarcity by 2025.
According to the WHO and the UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) for Water Supply and Sanitation, 768 million people do not have access to clean water, and 2.5 billion people do not have access to adequate sanitation facilities.
Action Contre La Faim reports that among children, 1.5 million deaths are caused by inadequate sanitary conditions every year, 88 percent of which are directly caused by diarrhea.
Most of the world’s water (70%) is used for farming. The U.N. estimates that between 40 and 54 percent of water pollutants are contributed by the food sector. Crops that are nourished with contaminated water can end up being laced with mercury and even arsenic, impeding growth and causing illness to those that consume them.
Source: The Food Tank
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