Water Sustainability

        Water is one of our most precious resources, and is fundamental to life on Earth. Today, consumption of water has increased to the point that water is no longer necessarily a renewable resource. The number one consumer of water in the modern world is in agriculture. Agricultural water usage accounts for 67% of the total water usage by humans. Water use in households for cooking, cleaning, and operating bathrooms only accounts for 9% of water usage. with growth in the population and growing development around the globe, there will be more farming and more domestic water usage. The only way to meet the incredible demand ahead is to develop more efficient water usage systems. We may need to focus on crops that need less water, and to rework the quantity of water used in showers and toilets. Industrial use accounts for 13% of the total water usage, and is made up by manufacturing, power, and mining operations. These industries may also require a rework. The key to meeting the demand of the future and maintaining a level of sustainability is greater efficiency. Where efficiency is not enough, we may have to cut back on water depleting activities.

http://www.climate.org/topics/water.html

Artifact

        This artifact is an image of a t-shirt logo. The logo is a very well done graphic opposing fracking and shows tap water burning. The tap water around fracking sites has been filmed burning and posted all around the internet. The flames are cleverly shaped onto the exclamation point in the exclamation "Stop Fracking with our Water!" This image conveys the environmental ethics of protecting groundwater and reducing pollution from the oil industry.

Fracking Source

The article Fracking Fury lays out the pros, cons, and possible risks associated with fracking. It goes into some detail describing the process of hydraulic fracturing, and the disposal of waste. "In 2009, about 14% of natural gas production came from shale formations." Pros listed in Fracking fury include more jobs and economic growth, as well as having natural gas which is cleaner than fuel. The brief summary of the cons is worded best by the article. "Hazards associated with natural gas production and drilling are not as well known as with other fossil fuels, and regulations have not kept pace with production (NYT 2011). Escalating concerns include adverse effects on drinking water, human health, animals, and ecosystems." So, fracking is too new, and under-regulated. Concerns over water include: massive pollution to local groundwater if anything goes wrong, "neurological impairment, loss of smell, and nerve pain" from the pollution, billions of gallons of water used in fracking, waste disposal may not be meeting standards for fracking fluids. Fracking may be responsible for disease in local residents, killing farm animals, causing earthquakes, and polluting ground water. EPA studies have not been reassuring about the safety of fracking, and the industry is not being properly regulated.

Palliser, Janna. "Fracking Fury." Science Scope 35.7 (2012): 20. Science Reference Center. Web. 2 Oct. 2012.