Posts

Showing posts from January, 2021

The Problems of Earth: Fresh water crisis

Image
Fresh water is water that does not contain any salt. Waterfalls and lake in the island of Flores, the Azores archipelago. (Nacho Oria, 2020) Water demand globally is projected to increase by 55% between 2000 and 2050. Much of it is driven by agriculture, which accounts for 70% of global freshwater use. Water withdrawal for energy is also expected to increase by over 20%.  According to NASA, many of the world’s freshwater sources are being drained faster than they are being replenished. 21 out of 37 of the world’s major aquifers –underground water reservoirs– are receding. The Ganges Basin is depleting. Mexico City, built on ancient lake beds is now importing 40% of its water. In California, from 2011 to 2016 roughly 1,900 wells ran dry.   A system to retain water in a water-stressed area. (Circle of blue, 2020) Less than 3% of the Earth’s water is fresh water: the 69% of it is frozen in glaciers and polar caps, and an other 30% is under the surface –groundwater–. ...

The Problems of Earth: Demand for raw materials

Image
The demand for raw materials is the need of basic materials or substances that are used to produce goods.   Example of metallic raw materials (KWG industries, 2021) Over the coming years, the situation on the raw materials markets is likely to remain tense as large countries such as China, India and Brazil press ahead with infrastructural development and industrialization. As part of this trend, the industrialized countries are losing influence, and weaker developing countries are becoming even more marginalized. City of Ahmedabad, the 5th largest city in India and the 3rd fastest growing city in the world (scoopwhoop, 2014) Resource conflicts are erupting and highly developed countries are determined to safeguard their access to raw materials. As an example, the European Union is almost entirely reliant on imports. The situation is specially critical in relation to certain strategic metals which will continue to be essential for key growth technologies in the foreseeable f...

The Problems of Earth: Global Demand For Energy and Global Warming

Image
Global  demand  for  energy is the need of energy to power building, industry, transportation and other socioeconomic factors.   City by night (Pixels Art, 2021) Global demand for  energy is increasing due to industrial activity and advances in both developing and developed countries. Fossil fuel energy sources –such as coal, natural gas, and oil– are used to meet energy needs for much of the world. But the combustion of fossil fuels has increased the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere by more than a third since the Industrial Revolution. The rapid rise in greenhouse gases is a problem because it’s changing the climate faster than majority living world can adapt to. Moreover, burning fossil fuels emit high amounts of particulate matter and toxic gases that are highly harmful to health.  Polar bear struggled to find food due to ice melting. (The times, 2017).  Every year, an estimated 40,000 children die before their fifth birthday because ...