- 97% of the Earth's water is salty
- 3% of the Earth's water is fresh
- <1% of the water is fresh water at the surface of rivers, lakes and swamps
- 0.01% is the fresh water we can actually use
Physical water scarcity - when there just isn't enough water to meet everyone's needs. This might be because an area experiences very low levels of rainfall e.g. northern China
Economic water scarcity - when there is enough water but people cannot access it due to poverty. This might be due to not having sufficient technology or finacial resources e.g. Ethiopia
We can solve water scarcity by wasting less water, using desalination so that we can use salty water, irrigation so that less water is wasted in agricilture (which is where the most water is wasted), transporting water and harvesting water. We can also support charities that deliver training and equipment to help communities access water.
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