ENV200H1 Chapter Notes - Chapter 11: John Wesley Powell, Aquifer, Water Scarcity
Document Summary
The highest per capita water supplies occur in countries with wet climates and low population densities. Industrial and domestic uses tend to be far lower than agricultural use (cid:173) Industrial water use represents 25% of total water withdrawal, worldwide: cooling water for power plants is by far the largest single industrial use of water. People in developed countries consume on about ten times more water daily than those in developing countries. Effective, but essentially taking moisture from one area for the benefit of another: desalination = removing salt and other minerals from seawater. Sometimes the principal source of water where energy and money are available but water is scarce. Sometimes the problem isn"t the total amount of water but access to clean water: results in a variety of diseases linked to contaminated water and lack of sanitation. Wind stripped topsoil from millions of hectares of land. Billowing dust clouds turned day into night.
