Interesting Facts of the Environment

Overview

> 70% of the world's surface is covered by water but 97.5% of that is salt water. Of the remaining 2.5% that is freshwater, 68.7% is frozen in ice caps and glaciers. Less than 1% is available for human use.

> More than 1.2 billion people, about a fifth of humanity, lack access to safe drinking water, according to UN data. About 2.6 billion, or 40% have no access to sanitation. About 71% have no connection to a public sewerage system.

> 44% of the world's population live in areas affected by high water stress and the figure is likely to rise to 47% by the year 2030 because of factors including global warming and a rising population.

> Agriculture absorbs 74% of all water taken by humans from rivers, lakes, aquifers and wetlands against 18% for industry and 8% for municipalities.

Drink and Health

> Governments set a millennium goal in 2000, of halving the proportion of people with no access to safe drinking water by 2015. The goal is withing reach, according to a 2007 UN review, but the world is lagging in a linked goal of halving the proportion with no access to sanitation.

> Diarrhoea and malaria are the main water-related diseases, with most deaths among young children. Every 20 seconds, a child dies because of poor sanitation - or 1.5 million a year. Every year, more than 200 million tonnes of human waste go uncollected.

> Achieving the twin 2015 drinking water and sanitation goals will require spending US$11.5 billion extra a year. Every dollar spent on sanitation brings an average benefit of US$7, mainly because of better health.

Climate Change

> The UN Climate Panel says global warming, stoked by human use of fossil fuels and accelerating the thaw of the Himalayas, will disrupt farming from China to India. In Africa, up to 250 million people may suffer more water stress by 2020.

> World sea levels are projected to rise by between 18cm and 59cm by 2100, partly because of runoff from melting ice caps.

Agriculture/Industry

> The amount of water needed for crop production will rise 60%-90% by 2050.

> Industry can often cut its water demand by 40%-90%, given proper incentives, according to UN data.