Not Enough to Drink: Pollution, Drought, and Tainted Water Supplies

While more than 70 percent of our planet is covered by water, freshwater is in limited quantities. Of all the surface water that covers the Earth, only 3 percent is freshwater. Of that 3 percent, about two-thirds of it is frozen in glaciers and polar ice caps. That means only about 0.3 percent of all of the water on the planet’s surface is safe and useable for drinking, showering, watering our crops, and powering our industries. The world’s supply of freshwater is small. It’s also in danger of being depleted and degraded by factors such as climate change and overdevelopment. While the demand for freshwater is growing faster and faster, there is good news: freshwater is one of a very few natural resources that are renewable. That means that freshwater can be replenished, and there are many companies and organizations worldwide that are fighting to preserve rivers, lakes, and wetlands so they will continue to provide water for all of the many ways we use it.