Environmental Science For Dummies, 2nd Edition

Chapter 10

Water, Water Everywhere: Freshwater Resources

IN THIS CHAPTER

Understanding the need for fresh water

Locating sources of fresh water

Saving water through conservation

Creating fresh water from salt water

Water is quite possibly the most important resource the environment provides. All living things need water in order to survive. The good news is that the Earth contains a lot of water. The problem is that more than 97 percent of the Earth’s water is salt water in the oceans and, therefore, isn’t drinkable. Living things need fresh water, water without high levels of salt, to live.

In this chapter, I explain where freshwater resources are located and how humans access the fresh water they need to drink, bathe, and grow food. I also describe regions of the world that don’t have access to adequate supplies of fresh water and how this leads to conflict. Finally, I explain how environmental scientists seek to create fresh water from salt water and what you can do to conserve water every day.

Finding Fresh Water

Through the hydrologic cycle (see Chapter 6), water constantly ...