Chi HuynhEnglish 1B, Section 19Professor SilvaApril 7, 2014Water Practicality: Is Water the New Oil? When water demand quickly exceeds water supply, what happens next? Many people question the definition of water scarcity and how it is measured. Although there is no consensus on how to define and measure water scarcity, the most common measure of water scarcity is the "water stress index" or "water stress indicator". Falkenmark. The water stress index is defined by the scarcity of renewable water available per person each year relative to the amount of water resources available to the population of a region. The World Water Forum indicates that “if the quantity of renewable water in a country is less than 1,700 m3 per person per year, this country is said to be in a situation of water stress; below 1,000 m3, it is said to experience a water shortage; and below 500 m3, absolute water shortage” (World Water Forum). Water scarcity is becoming more and more apparent not only in third world countries, but also around the world. “Approximately 70% of the Earth's surface is covered in water. Although it seems abundant, only 1% of the world's water is fresh (not salty) and available (not frozen). And this powerful 1% is under threat” (World Wild Life). There are approximately 196 countries in the world today and while 60 countries are experiencing water scarcity, approximately 31% of the planet is at risk. As our human population rapidly increases, so does our thirst for water and other resources. If the baby boom generation does not end the threat of water scarcity, the next generation will have nowhere to turn for a natural source of usable water. Our ecosystems can no longer continue to thrive and feed a growing population due to excessive stress on water systems. Water systems are a...... middle of paper ...... on the planet. Seawater desalination could save a lot of people, but it nevertheless has impacts that we must minimize. Wastewater recovery should be considered as a complement to desalination. The costs of treating seawater using reverse osmosis have fallen fivefold in real terms over the past 20 years. This is largely due to better, more standardized reverse osmosis membranes and energy savings from energy harvesting devices. A large seawater reverse osmosis plant can produce 1,000 liters of water for £0.30 to £0.60 (US$0.5 per litre), less than the price of 11 liters of water in bottle. Water shortages will be the world's greatest threat at current rates of consumption. Governments should prioritize improving the environmental effectiveness of policies and economic efficiency to reduce water pollution from agricultural systems and improve water resource efficiency..