Water and Sustainability

UNIT 1Why WaterMattersObjectivesIn this unit, students will learn to:■■ Understand the relationship humans have with water.■■ Explain the development of water use over time.■■ Analyze water issues in the developing as well as in the developed world.■■ Describe the global water crisis and its effect on climate change.■■ Understand the steps being taken toward water sustainability around the world. 14

THE BIG IDEA |Unit 1    Why Water MattersSUSTAINABILITY Water is the indispensable resource without which life is impossible. Civilizations have thrived or collapsed dependingThe long-term maintenance on their access to and control of water. Despite this reality,of economic, environmental, many people remain unaware of how much our lives dependand social health. on this remarkable substance. In much of the world, accessing reliable and clean water remains hard work. The current waterECOLOGICAL SYSTEMS struggles that millions of people endure are expected to spread as population growth, mounting consumption, and climateLarge-scale components change combine into a global water crisis.of the Earth, such as theoceans, the atmosphere, and In this unit we will explore these challenges and howthe biosphere. they are prompting people around the globe to promote forward-thinking approaches to water that are aligned with sustainability and the ecological systems of the Earth.UNIT 1 SELF-ASSESSMENTBefore beginning this unit, consider what you already know about why water mattersby completing this self-assessment. For each statement below, rate your current levelof confidence with understanding sustainable water concepts. NOT SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT CONFIDENT CONFIDENTI am able to explain the ways that people ❍❍❍use water for agriculture, domestic use,and industry. ❍❍❍ ❍❍❍I am able to explain the concept of water ❍❍❍efficiency. ❍❍❍I can explain the benefits and drawbacksof dams.I can explain how agriculture affects waterresources, especially groundwater.I can describe domestic water systems andsome of the challenges that they are facing. 15

|Unit 1    Why Water Matters GROW YOUR KNOWLEDGE A personal water footprint is the total amount of water a person uses. Read the questions below. Then, with your teacher’s permission, access the watercalculator.org website. Use the tool to calculateyour own water footprint as you answer the questions below. The information you needmay display with the prompts, or in your water footprint report. While using the waterfootprint calculator, respond to the prompts as accurately as possible.1. What is your water footprint?2. Is your water footprint greater than or less than the U.S. average?3. List at least four things that directly impact the amount of water you use every day.4. What are the two largest contributors to your water footprint?5. What is one thing you can do to reduce your water footprint? Essential Concept Water is central to sustainability.WATER SUSTAINABILITY 1.1  O ur Relationship with WaterEquitable use and manage- It is impossible to separate water sustainability from ament of water that does healthy natural environment, a successful economy, or humannot impair its availability or equity and well-being. Successful water sustainability meansquality for present and future that we must always consider the relationship of water togenerations or ecosystems. humans and to nature.EMBODIED OR It is relatively easy to see obvious uses of water such as drink-VIRTUAL WATER ing, bathing, and cleaning, but there are also many ways in which water use is hidden from view. Embodied water, whichThe amount of fresh water is also called virtual water, is the amount of fresh water usedused to produce a product to produce a product or service. You might know how muchor service. water you drink each day, but do you know how much water is used to produce the food you eat? How about water to gener- ate electricity or to manufacture the clothes you wear? 16

|Unit 1    Why Water MattersGovernments can work to positively impact water use to pro-mote sustainability on a global scale. Recognizing your ownrelationship with water can help you make choices to positivelyimpact water use on a personal level.Access to fresh drinking water is vital to sustainability.1.2  History, Civilization, and WaterWater has been central to humanity long before people orga-nized themselves into towns and cities. A widespread creationstory that recounts the origin of life and of people from wateris supported by modern scientific understanding of the begin-nings of life on Earth. Prehistoric humans relied on freshwaterand saltwater resources to provide drinking water and food.They often survived by hunting migratory animals that fol-lowed seasonal water resources across the landscape.The first large-scale permanent settlements grew aroundimportant rivers: Mesopotamia around the Tigris andEuphrates rivers, Egypt around the Nile, China around theYellow River, and India around the Indus River.These rivers flooded their banks seasonally, providing life-giving water and nutrients to the surrounding floodplain. 17