1

"Social and ecological systems influence sustainability of natural resources"

Author

Affiliation

Course

Instructor

Due date
 2

"Social and ecological systems influence sustainability of natural resources"

The availability of freshwater for human consumption is becoming increasingly difficult

to secure. The world already has a problem with this; if nothing is done, it will become overly

reliant on a small number of sources for our freshwater. People cannot look back for guidance

when the future holds so much potential. Natural resources are more manageable with the aid of

social and ecological systems. As so, they instruct us on how to persevere and even prosper

despite adverse conditions. The difficulties experienced in these regions show us the potential

outcomes of the current actions. One of the most important resources we draw upon is

freshwater, which is starting to degrade due to our heavy consumption. The world must stop this

immediately, before the depletion of natural supplies of freshwater, and be unable to replace

them in an environmentally sustainable manner. The depletion of freshwater resources could

have enormous consequences in the future, and it may be time to reevaluate our actions.

All day long, people use the social and ecological factors that contribute to the long-term

stability of the planet's natural resources. Improved methods for maintaining these assets have

been developed by society. Freshwater is a crucial resource that we utilize extensively, yet it is

rapidly depleting. It is crucial to human existence, and one of the most important natural

resources people rely on. The fact that we and future generations will require water to live and

innovate is why preserving freshwater is so crucial (Lipiñska, 2018). However, as we progress

and discover more effective methods of freshwater sustainability, other challenges arise. Because

of people's abundance of natural resources, they have made great strides in certain spheres of

development. When population, economics, and human needs flourish, freshwater's social impact

is at its peak. Extreme water scarcity has emerged in many parts of the world in recent decades

due to human activities such as depletion, pollution, and climate change (Zhenmin, 2022). There
 3

are ecological ramifications of how much and how quickly a population grows, how quickly the

temperature changes, and how many and what kinds of nutrients are present in the freshwater

supply. The essential commodity is water; a resource society must pay for. Both systems are

necessary to ensure that freshwater will remain available and sustainable. This is represented in

the water circle, as shown in the figure below.

Arrows indicate transportation of water to numerous reservoirs sited above, at, and below

Earth’s surface.

The hydrologic cycle illustrates the circulation of water from its origins in the oceans to its

various destinations in the atmosphere, lakes, groundwater, glaciers, rivers, and the biosphere.

The sun's energy and gravity propel the water cycle. Evaporation transfers water from the

earth's seas, rivers, and lakes to the sky, which eventually condenses to produce clouds and rain.

In the form of rain and snow, it is shed by clouds onto oceans and continents. Water from land

can either evaporate into the air or flow back into rivers and streams to eventually end up in the

ocean (water loss by plants to the atmosphere).

 4

According to Pereira & Marques (2021), the social context of freshwater is crucial to its

long-term viability. Glaciers, streams, rivers, and groundwater are all sources of freshwater. In

obtaining clean water for human consumption, people are destroying irreparable natural habitats.

Dams, water diversions, and fish migration are just ways an ecosystem suffers when a once-

freshwater area is depleted. As the world tries to find ways to extract freshwater, it is reverse

osmosis. It forces seawater through a membrane filter (Fisher, n.d.). This process removes the

salt from the water, turning it into potable freshwater. There were several issues at the outset of

this endeavor. The ocean's acidity is increased when the leftover saltwater after freshwater has

been extracted, is poured back into the sea (Zhenmin, 2022). As a result, coral and other marine

life are dying, and the water may soon become too corrosive for human swimming. As a result of

severe drought, individuals in some regions are either left severely dehydrated or forced to travel

up to 40 miles to reach a reliable source of fresh water, which is why responsible personnel is

actively researching alternative methods of obtaining this vital resource. However, they also

account for the vast majority of lost or improperly used freshwater, which is a serious issue if

freshwater is becoming increasingly scarce. Due to waste production and chemical factory

discharge, some people contribute to environmental degradation (Lipiñska, 2018). Because of

this, freshwater is rendered useless and wasted, making it that much more difficult to locate.

People are not the only ones impacted by this new water; if animals cannot find fresh drinking

water to live on, the animal nation will start to fall apart.

The ecological impact people have on the environment has repercussions for the long-

term viability of freshwater supplies. Because of global warming, ice caps are melting and

flowing into the sea, depleting freshwater supplies (Fisher, n.d.). There is a significant role for

soil runoff in the freshwater shortage. Solar radiation is extremely hot and can easily evaporate
 5

water or melt ice. The nitrogen cycle breaks down when the soil absorbs polluted water from the

runoff. Soil nutrient depletion has negative effects on ecosystem health. When plotted, it looks

like a steeper-than-straight-line curve headed for an asymptote—a rapid increase in population

size throughout several generations (Zhenmin, 2022). All of these issues affect the soil's nutrient

cycle. Even if experts discover freshwater, it can dilute most dissolvable and render the water

unusable due to pollution, making freshwater extremely difficult to obtain or find. Pollution has

serious consequences for people's daily life. As pollution rates rise, more and more of the world's

freshwater supplies, including lakes, rivers, and groundwater, are tainted by the runoff (Pereira &

Marques, 2021). That resource is useless when fresh water is most reliably accessed through the

earth.

Ecological and social controls greatly influence how freshwater is produced and how it is

used. These problems inform our efforts to develop novel strategies for locating and shaping

potable water sources in different parts of the world. Using ecosystem services correctly can aid

global development and benefit future generations. One issue where ecological and social

restrictions are particularly important is freshwater. Managing water resources and providing

water and sanitation services to billions of people worldwide requires radical change, and now is

the time to make those changes. This international problem has far-reaching effects on all

countries' social, economic, and environmental systems, necessitating immediate action. In order

to develop a long-term solution to the challenge of securing sufficient supplies of clean water, we

must examine all of the potential negative impacts, resource depletion, and natural assets now in

play.
 6

References

Fisher, M. R. (n.d.). Water Cycle and Fresh Water Supply – Environmental Biology. Water Cycle

and Fresh Water Supply – Environmental Biology.

https://openoregon.pressbooks.pub/envirobiology/chapter/7-1-water-cycle-and-fresh-water-

supply/

Lipiñska, D. (2018). The Water-wastewater-sludge Sector and the Circular Economy. Comparative

Economic Research. Central and Eastern Europe, 21(4), 121-137.

https://www.econstor.eu/handle/10419/259184

Pereira, M. A., & Marques, R. C. (2021). Sustainable water and sanitation for all: are we there

yet?. Water Research, 207, 117765.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0043135421009593

Zhenmin. (2022). Water and Sanitation. Department of Economic and Social Affairs.

https://sdgs.un.org/topics/water-and-sanitation