by A.R. Cruz

Created on: September 10, 2008

How is climate change affecting the provisions of water to people in the poorest regions of the World?

Climate change is affecting provisions globally to peoples in the poorest regions of the world by decreasing a vital natural resource which is necessary for commercial production, agriculture and long health; Water.

Global climate will cause a decrease in water supply to regions already depleted in available clean water for drinking and farming. It is estimated that by 2020 many countries in Africa will have less rainfall and are projected to have increased water stress by rainfall fed agricultural farming which could be reduced by 50%. The UN Climate panel says 75 million to 250 million people in the poorest continent are projected to suffer this problem.

Water is an essential resource for sustaining life, promoting health, producing products and foods. In areas where water is scarce, it has affected many provisions, for example to make foods such as Maize which is a food staple in Africa. Irrigation for crops such as corn, wheat and rice which are staples of Asia and the United States and other countries around the world is vital for planting and production of food.

Corn is a vital ingredient to bio fuel Ethanol which is an important energy alternative to oil.

Some major reasons why some developing nations are affected in this global economy is the lack of accessibility to clean drinking water, the quality of the drinking water available and the quantity of water which is not available due to climate change and drought and famine.

According to journal article by Julie Beth Zimmerman on Green Engineering Global Stressors on Water Quality and quantity Vol. 42 Issue 12 P4247-4254

"On a global basis 70 % of fresh water is currently used for crop irrigation 20% for industrial purposes and 10% for domestic purposes. Different parts of the world, for example Egypt uses 98% of its water for irrigation leaving only ~27 L/capita- daily for domestic use. The US uses only 40% of its water for irrigation and domestic water use exceeds 410 L/capita per day. In refugee camps, in Asia and Africa residents may receive only 15L/capita per day for consumption, and hygiene."
"Quantity of water used varies by region, water is not distributed equally. This inequality is critical for Asia which has 60% of world's population but only 36% of the World's water. Developing countries often have less capacity to improve water quality which includes variety of uses including drinking water.

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