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Climate Change and its Impact on Water Scarcity Around the World

Aiza Y. Coulter

Major in Marketing | Minor in Film and Television

BE 170 - A1: Basic Concepts in Water-Related Applications

Dr. Stephen Poe

April 28, 2020

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Climate Change and its Impact on Water Scarcity Around the World

As of April 2019, there are over seven billion humans who are roaming the earth.

Humans can survive at least thirty days without food, but without water? The maximum amount

of dehydration a body can take is about three days. The numbers are drastic and it is quite clear

that water is one of man’s most important resources. The importance of water is emphasized in

the synopsis of the fourth episode of a docu series called ​One Strange Rock ​with Will Smith, “

Only here on Earth have we found the elixir of life; water in its three forms” (​One Strange Rock,​

2018, ep. 4: ​Genesis​). ​Unfortunately, our access to water is rapidly decreasing and is quickly

becoming an international affair​.

I am a Film & Television Major with a double degree in Marketing. Due to my current

education, I have researched, watched, and studied some of the most compelling documentaries

that face climate change and it’s severe impact on water scarcity. One in particular that stood out,

is called ​Before The Flood, d​ irected by Fisher Stevens, written by Mark Monroe, and produced

by Leonardo Di Caprio. The documentary shed light on climate change, it’s disastrous domino

effect, and potential solutions. In connection to this eye-opening documentary, a recent post

downloaded to a website created in addition to the film, frames the dangers of water scarcity as a

result of climate change. A scientist, Peter Gleick (2019) that created this post states that,

...as the climate changes, the hydrologic cycle must change as well – indeed we

already see evidence of these changes. Rising temperatures are causing more

evaporation and more demand for water by agriculture and natural

ecosystems...Even without climate change, the world has plenty of severe water

challenges. Seven hundred million people lack access to safe and affordable
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Climate Change and its Impact on Water Scarcity Around the World

drinking water...Climate change is an added burden on all of these water

problems. (Gleick, 2019, para. 3, para. 5​).

As mentioned in the quote above, in addition to climate change, there are plenty of

troubles regarding water. For instance, our growing population and water pollution are both good

examples. Here is an example of what Dr. Gleick was emphasizing in his post. To help visualize

this process, Figure 1 below, is a basic roadmap of evaporation, condensation, precipitation, etc.

shows us how the increasing temperatures of our planet will dangerously speed this process up.

Figure 1. Taken from Fecht, S., & Fecht, S. (2019, September 23). An image conveying the
hydrologic cycle. How Climate Change Impacts Our Water. Retrieved from
https://blogs.ei.columbia.edu/2019/09/23/climate-change-impacts-water/​. Copyright 2019 by The
Earth Institute.
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Climate Change and its Impact on Water Scarcity Around the World

Droughts are likely outcomes to the increasing temperatures and increasing speed of the

hydrologic cycle. A threatening amount of ecosystems will suffer from lack of rain and dry

periods. As mentioned by Josie Garthwaite (2019),

“If global temperatures continue to rise, rainfall will increasingly become a beast of

extremes: long dry spells here, dangerous floods there – and in some places, intense water

shortages. As early as 2025, the World Health Organization ​estimates​ that half of the

world’s population will be living in water-stressed areas” (Garthwaite, 2019, para. 1).

Elements of Climate Change

According to Mark Monroe​,​ there are several important aspects contributing to the drastic

changes in our climate (Monroe, 2019). In observation of this film, I realized the intense

connectivity between all elements of life on Earth and that there are several lodges of disruption

causing our planet to suffer. Water is an unfortunate victim to all of the factors that apply to the

climate.

Rising Temperatures

As “carbon pollution and deforestation” (Cutting, 2019, para. 1), hits record highs, the

climate and temperatures swiftly pick up speed. According to the Environmental Protection

Agency, transportation makes up about “...28.9 percent of 2017 greenhouse gas emissions”

(EPA, 2017, para. 3), is one of the primary causes of carbon pollution. Other issues regarding

fossil fuels, coal, agriculture, and more are all fueling the fires of climate change.

As a result of our warming atmosphere there is another consequence of this: “Warmer

temperatures and ​increasing acidity​ are making life difficult for sea creatures. These changes are
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Climate Change and its Impact on Water Scarcity Around the World

transforming food chains ​from the bottom-up​” (Fecht, 2019, para. 15). The diagram in Figure 2

below depicts the increase in climate over a short period of time and shows how quickly we are

approaching dangerous highs.

Figure 2. What are climate signals? (n.d.). An image displaying the rapidly increasing
temperatures. Retrieved from ​https://www.climatesignals.org/climate-signals

Acidifying Oceans

According to the documentary, “Oceans absorb more than ¼ of all the CO2 pollution

emitted each year, and this is changing the very chemistry of the oceans” (​Before The Flood​,

2019, para. 6). This is concerning for all of our sea animals, the food chain, and for the fisheries

that feed us. Due to the acidity, entire ecosystems could have irreversible damage.

Melting Ice

Some of the existential issues that occur from the melting of ice around the world,

includes animals being forced from their natural habitats and cities will flood and even
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disappear. Another docuseries that I did research on, ​Our Planet, n​ arrated by David

Attenborough​, ​had a

Climate Change and its Impact on Water Scarcity Around the World

difficult episode to endure. The episode showed recorded footage of walruses piled atop each

other, fighting to share just a bit of land. Some found solace in higher spaces of land; however, to

reach these heights they have to successfully climb up this mountain. Some die climbing and

others die from starvation. This horrific footage is only a small glimpse of what sea creatures are

going through due to the melting ice and increasing temperatures. Below in Figure 3, there is a

diagram of the quickly thinning and melting glaciers over the span of 60 years.

Figure 3. Climate Change Indicators: Glaciers. (2016, December 17). Retrieved from
https://www.epa.gov/climate-indicators/climate-change-indicators-glaciers

Droughts
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Due to increasing temperatures, the process of evaporation is speeding up and causing

intense dryness around the world. ​Before The Flood ​mentioned that, “the Colorado River is at its

Flood, 2​ 019, para.10). Our food supply, animals, plants, and water supply all decrease incredibly

Climate Change and its Impact on Water Scarcity Around the World

with severe droughts. Places with immenes dorught spells have attempted to think innovatively

on how to recycle water to make it clean and safe to drink.

Drinking Water

Water is a resource that most living organisms simply cannot live without. This source

claims that the overall result of,

These changes in water supply, demand, and quality will “exacerbate our current

problem,” says Lall, “which is that we have aging water infrastructure across the

country that is failing, and we simply do not have the capacity to deal with even

historical variation, let alone what people are projecting for the future” (Fecht,

2019, para. 24).

All of the elements of climate change that I described previously also contribute to the

shortage of water that we will contribute to as time goes on with no actions being taken. Many

fear that the water we drink is becoming increasingly unsafe the less access we have to it.

However, a contact from Stanford University argues that, “Although a shortage of clean drinking

water is the most immediate threat to human health, water scarcity can have far-reaching

consequences” (Garthwaite, 2019, para. 3). A potential outcome of this crisis, could be outright

arguments amongst regions and countries over this precious resource. Tying back to my

particular major, through film, if we can find a way to show people the importance of making
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necessary changes, we can earn more support from people through journalism and truth. Figure

4, below shows our projected changes in access to water as a resource with and without the

effects of climate, and the difference is astounding. Without climate change, the amount of water

Climate Change and its Impact on Water Scarcity Around the World

in the United States seems to be quadurple the amount there would be with climate change.

Figure 4. Fecht, S., & Fecht, S. (2019, September 23). How Climate Change Impacts Our Water.
Retrieved from ​https://blogs.ei.columbia.edu/2019/09/23/climate-change-impacts-water/

Conclusion

There are so many consequences as a result of climate change, which will lead to

detrimental water shortages. According to the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy,

Water supply in the IMW is projected to diminish, as a result of expected climate

change, with its accompanying effects on temperature and precipitation...This all

adds up to increasing water scarcity across the IMW, with likely far-reaching

impacts in many dimensions (Marlow & Aldrich, 2013, para. 5).

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In hopes of helping the world, the living organisms on our planet, and sustaining our

most important resource: water, I would find great honor in using my skills as a filmmaker to

spread awareness of these issues. Much like the documentaries I’ve researched, the goal would

be to show people how we can work towards slowing water scarcity and global warming.

References

Climate Change Indicators: Glaciers. (2016, December 17). Retrieved from

https://www.epa.gov/climate-indicators/climate-change-indicators-glaciers

Fecht, S., Fecht, S., Aakif, A., & Adariku, E. (2019, September 23). How Climate Change

Impacts Our Water. Retrieved from

https://blogs.ei.columbia.edu/2019/09/23/climate-change-impacts-water/

Gleick, P., & Pacific Institute. (2016, October 21). Water Scarcity. Retrieved from

https://www.beforetheflood.com/explore/the-crisis/water-scarcity-and-climate-change/

Marlow, J., & Aldrich, S. (2013). ​Determinants of Change in the Intermountain West​ (pp.

Page8-Page10, Rep.). Lincoln Institute of Land Policy. Retrieved March 24, 2020, from

www.jstor.org/stable/resrep18446.5

Sources of Greenhouse Gas Emissions. (2019, September 13). Retrieved from

https://www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/sources-greenhouse-gas-emissions

Stevens, F., DiCaprio, L., Davidoski, T., Killoran, J. D., Ratner, B., Packer, J., Monroe, M., ...

Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment, Inc.,. (2017). ​Before the flood.​

Taken from Fecht, S., & Fecht, S. (2019, September 23). How Climate Change Impacts Our
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Water. Retrieved from

https://blogs.ei.columbia.edu/2019/09/23/climate-change-impacts-water/. Copyright 2019

by The Earth Institute.

What are climate signals? (n.d.). An image displaying the rapidly increasing temperatures.

Retrieved from https://www.climatesignals.org/climate-signals