World Water Day

We need water for . . . well . . . everything.

So, why aren’t we doing more to protect it?

That’s what World Water Day is all about!

UNESCO’s World Water Day, held on March 22, was created to educate people about the importance of freshwater resources, and to motivate them to help fix our global water crisis.

There are 2.2 billion people without clean water—that has to change!

The theme of this year’s World Water Day is “Water and  Climate Change.”

Climate change is creating extreme weather, which can make water more scarce, harder to predict, and more polluted.

Two kinds of extreme weather are floods and droughts.

In the water cycle, water evaporates from the land and sea. That water returns to the Earth as rain and snow.

But with climate change, this cycle becomes more severe: As air temperatures rise, more water evaporates into the air. This warmer air can hold more vapour.

The extra vapour leads to severe rainstorms and extreme flooding.

As temperatures rise, more water evaporates and the soil dries out.

When it rains, a lot of the rainwater runs over the hard, dry ground and goes directly into the rivers and streams. It doesn’t sink into the ground, so the soil stays dry.

As evaporation continues, droughts can occur.

Wondering how you can help? Start by saving water at home!

1. Turn off the tap

Turn off the tap when you brush your teeth to save up to 6 litres per minute.

2. Take showers

Take a (short) shower instead of a bath. A five-minute shower uses 95 litres of water. Filling a bathtub takes about 136 litres.

3. Fill a container

Keep a container of drinking water in the refrigerator. It’s wasteful to turn on the tap and wait until the water is cold.

4. Shop less

Buy less and reuse more. Everything you buy uses water to produce and transport.

5. Eat smarter

Try eating less meat: Raising animals takes a lot of water. You should also eat whole foods. They take less water to produce than processed foods.

These problems may feel impossible to fix. But it’s important to keep learning, educate others, and try your best to use less water!

World Water Day Comprehension

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