Everything You Need to Know About Water Consumption

Water Consumption

On average, a Canadian consumes approximately 4,400 litres-per-capita-per-day (LCD), making Canada one of the highest per capita users in the world. Globally, the main percentage of water withdrawal continues to result from agricultural use. But this problem effects us all, some areas greater than others. Constant attempts to implement water conservation strategies are made by municipalities and water management authorities and have greatly helped in keeping to date with how these measures are taken by Canadians and what is being done to help.

Top Contributors to Water Usage & Consumption

China

After further research, people have confirmed that China contributes to the most water consumption annually. On average, China consumes about 1370 trillion L of water annually just to produce basic needs. For example clothing and food and even agriculture. A huge reasoning for their shocking amount of water consumption is also their population.

United States of America

The USA is ranked at second place for the most water consumed annually. After further research, on average the US consumes about 817 billion L of water in just one year. Researchers say that the reasoning for this is most likely due to their population, agriculture, food and even producing electricity for their homes and other places.

New Zealand

New Zealand is also in the top 4 rankings, coming in third place. On average, New Zealand Consumes around 227 L a day, meaning 82,855 L a year. The reasoning for this is because of things going on inside their homes. Such as personal hygiene, laundry, and also in the kitchen. These needs take up around 90% of their water consumption and only 10% of their water goes towards other things.

Brazil

The final country that ranked in fourth place was Brazil. On average, researchers found that Brazil consumes about 359 billion L of water annually. For Brazil, this is actually a huge problem since there are parts of brazil that are pretty much water-less. Meaning that they cannot afford to waste more water. Most of their water consumption traces back to agriculture, food, and producing electricity. However this is also due to their huge population.

Many states in developed, first-world countries are gravely suffering from situations such as attainable fresh water, including Canada and the United States, but a water shortage is also greatly related to the economic situation, as such as its resources. By stating these countries below, we are understanding that rather than listing states that are a part of a developed country, the global water crises is a human problem, located throughout places in the world.

Top Countries Affected by Water Consumption & Use

Libya

Libya, as a country already well-known as a "failed state," access to water is merely one of the scarce resources that aren't easily attainable there, including food and fuel. The chaotic political forces, often leading to reoccurring violence, have threatened to cut off water for a large amount of the population, adding to the current stress of managing the lack of this resource.

Western Sahara

With the natural resources located where there is a possibility of oil, therefore meaning business over human needs, shrinks the chance of change. Including the fact that thousands of Sahrawi refugees are inhabited here, suffering from the constant food and water shortages that result from the long-term battle for dominance intervening with Morocco and the Polisario Front, Sahrawi's tribal group.

Yemen

Yemen, a state loaded with by-passing terrorists, is heavily reliant on political relationships for water, as they have a lack of fresh water coming naturally from the country. But with the political conflict that prevent them from receiving help, they are in desperate need for a number of necessitates. Specialists even predict that Yemen's capital will be the first major city in the world to run out of water.

Djibouti

Known as a standing humanitarian corridor with a strategic military hold, this isn't a great benefit for fresh water crises in Djibouti. Climates there experience frequent droughts and poor infrastructure, leaving the grave population without "guaranteed" fresh water. Even if considered as the world's key military base, neglecting human needs prevents this country from growing further.

Facts about water consumption

The average American uses 140-170 gallons of water every day
An average family of four uses 881 gallons of water per week just by flushing the toilets in your home
It takes 2,700 litres of water to make one shirt made of cotton
From 2000 to 2014, the average consumer increased their clothing purchasing by 60 percent.
Producing certain articles of clothing can contribute to amounts of greenhouse gasses getting emitted into the environment
The world utilizes about five trillion litres of water each year for fabric dyeing

EXAMPLE: A 50-year-old person who weighs 180 pounds:

180 divided by 2.2 = 81.8

81.8 multiplied by 35 = 2,863

2,863 divided by 28.3 = 101.1 ounces per day

(To convert ounces to liters, divide the final result from above (ounces) by 33.814 to get the amount in liters):

101.1 divided by 33.814 = 2.989 = about 3 litres

Remember that this calculation will not produce an exact measure of your water needs, and that it reflects your approximate baseline water requirement from all sources.

HOW TO CALCULATE your WATER intake

To gain a baseline understanding of your personal water needs, use this calculator follow this formula to understand the estimated amount of water you require each day, in liters:

STEP 1: Insert your weight (pounds) and divide it by 2.2

STEP 2: Multiply the product by a number depending on your age range:

If you are below 30, multiply by 40
If you are between 30-55, multiply by 35
If you’re older than 55, multiply by 30

STEP 3: Divide your result by 28.3. The answer is the estimated amount of water you require each day, in ounces.

STEP 4: Convert the amount of ounces to liters (optional)

What Could Happen in the Future?

Here are some possibilities of what our future could be looking like considering a couple of different paths by the year 2050.

the economic growth... and decline

By result of a dramatic economic population growth, The 2020 World Population Data Sheet predicts an increase of the general population by 25% (9.9 billion by 2050). From that amount, The 2018 edition of the United Nations World Water Development Report alerted that more than half of this amount, nearly 6 billion peoples, will suffer from a lack of clean, fresh water. Eventually in the later years, by this scarcity situation, could lead to startling declines of population, especially aimed to this 6 million part of the future population.

A conflict-world of global "cooperation"

Economic instability leads to increasing conflicts associated with inequality within and between countries as global terrorism thrives. In this scenario, water-related conflicts flare up and expand beyond the countries directly involved. International migration barriers are increased in rich countries, while countries alike to the Top Countries Affected by Water Consumption & Use face drastic lack of resources as a "fading country."

CONSCIOUS understanding

A global understanding of water consumption exists as greenhouse pressures eases. Water stress, already critical in some arid areas of the world at the beginning of the period, diminishes gradually with the implementation of the economic, technological and lifestyle changes. Other technology-based options that'll help uplift situations in the water-based world will come through cooperatively.

In a growing world we're constantly trying to right our wrongs, realizing and working for a better world where we can reduce our water intake will take time, among all other things. Especially with considering developed countries, the change must start with them being able to put their foot forward for the smaller, less capable countries, because the water shortage is a global problem.

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