Global Water Shortage - Coursework Example

Global Water Shortage al Affiliation) Table of Contents Page………………………………………………………………………………… Table of Contents…………………………………………………………………………2 Introductions………………………………………………………………………….…..3 Background………………………………………………………………………………..4 Impacts of Socio-Cultural Factors on Water Availability and Quality……………………..5 Impacts of Economic Factors on Global Water Availability and Quality…….....................7 How Legal Factors have Impacted Global Water Availability and Adequacy………………8 Impacts of Maslow’s Hierarchy on Needs of Global Water Quality and Availability………9 Recommendations……………………………………………………………………………10 References……………………………………………………………………………………12 Introduction The current society is faced by myriad global challenges that affect different parts of the global populace on a different dimension. The essence of recognizing a socio-political, environmental or economic challenge as a global issue is based on its magnitude and scope. Currently, those challenges considered global issues have increased in numbers, thus creating a concern among major decision-makers as well as development stakeholders (Gupta, & Pahl-Wostl, 2010). It is a fact that many of these global challenges emerge from dimensions of conflicts in the four major components of development, which are; water, food, environment and energy resources. Researchers have claimed that the use of the fore-mentioned components of development in various anthropogenic activities have triggered the occurrence of global challenges, thus deteriorating the overall development processes. Taking in to consideration the case of environment as a factor of development, contemporary scholars have asserted that in as much as it is an imperative source of various development processes, its exploitation has resulted into one of the biggest global challenges. That is, the over-exploitation of some resources within the environment has been considered the major cause of certain global challenges such as; desertification, global warming, the rise of sea level, loss of bio-diversity among others. This discussion will focus on global water shortage as a major challenge facing the contemporary society. Specifically, it shall provide a discussion highlighting the effects of legal, socio-cultural and economic forces on global water shortage. On the other hand, it will describe how the achievement of needs according to Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs has impacted the access of global water resources. Consequently, it will focus on a recommendation section that provides a list of probably solutions that could be applied to reduce the impacts of global water shortage. Background Research indicates that water problem as a societal challenge has extended from being a regional challenge to a global challenge. Issues of purity and access to adequate water resources are currently considered a major global issue. Water is an imperative resource applied in various components of development. Fresh water is the most important resource for both social and economic development, however, research has indicated that the amount of global fresh water is approximately 3% of the total water resources, but the current generation has only managed to access 1% of this fresh water resource. Approximately 1.2 billion people are currently facing water challenges emerging from inadequacy or purity, despite the fact that water has been considered a fundamental resource to human development. Environmental scientists and other concerned stakeholders have attributed this global challenge to two major causes; to begin with, water shortage has been regarded as an effect of environmental degradation due to anthropogenic forces (Gupta, & Pahl-Wostl, 2010). The second factor that has been regarded as a challenge to the survival of water resource is the ever-increasing number of global population leading to a scenario where the carrying capacity of water resources cannot support the population. There are also other factors i.e. economic and legal facets that have triggered water purity and shortage as a global issue. In a research published by UNESCO, global water challenges have been affecting the global population for over five decades. The research also indicated that by 2025, approximately 1.8 billion people will experience water related challenges while approximately two-thirds of the world’s populace will be living in water stressed-conditions (UNESCO, 2013). Global water shortage has not only affected less developed and developing nations, but it is a challenge that is experienced even in developed and middle class nations such as Egypt, Uzbeskistan among others. The least developed nations that have been reported to experience serious water shortage challenge are countries like’ Sudan, Niger, Somalia, Turkmenistan among others. Developed nations like the United States have also experienced cases of water challenges arising from contamination by pollutants from anthropogenic activities (UNESCO, 2013). This has compelled stakeholders like the National Resources Defense Council to formulate strategies that would ensure that polluted water sources in the United States are redeemed i.e. the creation of a program that would ensure that San Joaquin River is restored to its original natural form (Wildman & Forde, 2012). Impacts of Socio-Cultural Factors on Water Availability and Quality The provision of safe and adequate drinking water has been considered a major challenge in relation to sustainable development for a long period of time. Research indicates that the provision of safe and adequate water has a intrinsic correlation with the Millennium Development Goals (MDG’s). In addition, other water related issues such provision of sanitation facilities and safe drinking water has a relationship with the MDG’s, however, the provision of these needs has been negatively affected by socio-cultural aspects. One of the various socio-cultural factors that have affected the provision of adequate and safe water for the global populace is the ever increasing number of global populations. This socio-cultural factor has been perceived from different dimensions. Environmentalists have attributed to this socio-cultural factor with the natural water resource carrying capacity. The argument has been that, the world population is increasing at an alarming rate; this has surpassed the carrying capacity of the earth leading to scarcity. On the other hand, sociologists have also debated this issue, although from a different perspective, asserting that this is a challenge is currently majorly faced in developing and least developing nations of the Sub-Saharan Africa. Another aspect that has impacted the provision of adequate and safe drinking water among the global populace is the existence of knowledge and skills applied to facilitate water management. Inadequate technical skills, knowledge as well as strategies have been considered to be a major challenge in relation to water management and use. This is a challenge that is majorly faced in developing nations as well as a few developed nations where the level of illiteracy is still relatively higher as compared to other developed nations. In African for instance, a recent research published by UNESCO has indicated that approximately thirty eight percent of adults are illiterate. This level of illiteracy has not only been considered not only a challenge to solving formal problems i.e. writing and reading, but have also been attributed to the poor management of water resources (UNESCO, 2013). On the other hand, countries such as Burkina Faso, Gambia, Senegal Guinea and Chad have literacy levels of lower that 50%, a challenge that has not only impacted economic growth of these nations, but also affected the management of natural resources water inclusive. Meanwhile, developed nations like the United States of America have been associated with high standards of living, as a result of the existence of adequate natural resource management skills. Some countries have also gone to an extent of hiring experts from such developed nations to assist in formulating solutions for their water-related challenges (Muyibi, Ambali, & Eissa, 2012). Impacts of Economic Factors on Global Water Availability and Quality Apart from increasing human population and high levels of illiteracy among least and developing nations that impact water resource management, economic development and other factors of development have also been considered as factors affecting water quality and availability. Water is a component of production that acts as an input and an output; it has been highly applied in economic development activities i.e. in manufacturing and processing industries (UNDESA, 2014). In most cases, large amounts of water are used in manufacturing industries as well as in the agricultural sector where it enhances the growth of food crop. However, environmentalists have claimed the increasing global population, leading to an increase in the needs of this populace, has compelled various productions industries to increase the amount of their production: This means that the amount of natural resources, water being among one of them has to increase in quantity (UNDESA, 2014). However, owing to the fact that the amount natural resources do not increase, this scenario has been termed as over-exploitation leading to a surpassed carrying capacity of the water resources. Additionally, the level of economic growth of a company is considered a major factor that determines the level of the living standards of each individual person within a nation. High economic growth also ensures that a country is in a position to provide adequate and high quality basic needs through the use of natural as well as technological resources. It is apparent that the access of some water resources i.e. underground water resource requires the use of highly advanced technologies that are quite expensive. This has affected many less developed and developing nations that cannot afford certain resource exploitation technologies. How Legal Factors have Impacted Global Water Availability and Adequacy The formulation of water management policies and other legal structures has not only ensured that global populaces have access to adequate and high quality water resources. The formulation of water resource privatization policies has denied some quarters of the global population the access to water resources (Iglesias & Blanco, 2013). In Tanzania, privatization of some natural water resources has created health challenges to approximately 11 million Tanzanians, thus making them vulnerable to challenges of water shortage and other water borne-diseases: This is an idea that has been encouraged by influential leaders such as Ronald Reagan and the World Bank. The idea of formulating policies geared towards the privatization of water resources has not only been encouraged by conservative political elites, but also encouraged by world’s leading political parties such as Britain’s Labor Party, which advocated for the privatization of water resources in Tanzania. In some cases, such countries have also used foreign aid to budget for the formulation and implementation of water management policies (Iglesias & Blanco, 2013). On the other hand, pricing and valuation of water resources has also been affected by water management policies. Research indicates that the formulation of valuation and pricing policies of water resources in poor nations is characterized by bureaucracies, leading to hiked prices and over-valuation by private water service provision companies (Iglesias & Blanco, 2013). A case study of water service provision companies in Tanzania indicated that, water service provision as a business is booming as a result of over-hiked prices. Some scholars have argued that the formulation of water management policies geared towards privatization of water resources has been associated with risks and uncertainties as evident in the case of Tanzania. On the other hand, some of these risks may occur due to rejection of the newly implemented water management policies, thus creating conflicts. Sociologists have also asserted that conflicts over water resources due to negative perceptions on water management policies may occur due to the fact that societal views and ideologies change with time. There are some global water policies that have been implemented and are universally adhered to by various countries. These policies have not only acted as guidelines on how water resources should be managed, but also acted as benchmarks for countries that aspire to provide adequate and high quality water services to its clients. One of the universal global water policies that have played a key role in guiding global water management is the UNEP Global Water Policy and Strategy. This policy was formulated with one major purpose; to promote a co-ordinated, expeditious and effective implementation of the mandates undertaken by UNEP to ensure that fresh water resources are sustainably managed. The World Bank has also provided policy papers to various countries i.e. to the United States, Washington D.C, to assist countries in management of water resources. Impacts of Maslow’s Hierarchy on Needs of Global Water Quality and Availability According to Abraham Maslow, human needs usually arrange themselves in a hierarchical manner. Maslow refers to this arrangement as the hierarchy of pre-potency; meaning that, the appearance or the feeling that one requires certain needs, relies on the satisfaction or achievement of another need that is considered more pre-potent (Maslow, 1943). Abraham Maslow also posits that human beings are generally perpetually wanting animals, meaning that they usually want to satisfy one need after another. Moreover, Maslow’s theory of motivation indicates that the essence of human needs is usually triggered by certain drives; however, these drives cannot be discretely treated owing to the fact that each drive has a direct relationship with the satisfaction of a specific need (Maslow, 1943). At the base of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, there is the psychological and biological needs, which are: Sex, sleep, food, shelter, drink, warmth among others. These are considered the most pre-potent needs according to Maslow (Maslow, 1943). The exploitation of natural resources by humans is greatly influenced by the desire to satisfy human needs; one of these resources is water, which lies at the biological and psychological needs. In this regard, water acts as a pre-potent human need that has to be met before meeting other needs, considered less pre-potent. Water is also considered a basic component of life, meaning that the provision of other biological and psychological needs requires water. This argument can be attributed to the challenges facing water management due to over-exploitation. Recommendations It is obvious that the provision of adequate and high quality water resources is a major challenge in the contemporary society. This has been attributed to the fact that the global population has been increasing as time goes on, thus overcoming the carrying capacity of natural water resources (Porter, 2012). The other challenges that have faced the provision of water resources in the current global environment are associated with poor policy making and problem solving strategies that are applied. Taking the above identified challenges into consideration, there are various strategies that can be applied to ensure that they are properly solved. In most cases, problem solving processes, directed towards reducing the challenges associated with water quality and availability involves an application of a top-down approach where; economic and political elites formulating boardroom solutions and implement them without involving the grass-root communities. This has led to conflict, majorly resulting from rejection of such policies. In order to avoid such challenges, a participatory approach involving grass-root communities, political elites and other concerned stakeholders should be applied. Development experts have also argued that many countries have given water shortage as a global issue less priority as compared to other agendas i.e. majority of less developed countries spend large amount of resources on purchasing weapons and other issues while neglecting water shortage as a major challenge (Porter, 2012). Additionally, water as an issue is usually given less priority when formulating development policies, thus contributing to the current global water challenges. However, this can be avoided by mainstreaming water management policies into other development policies. Enhanced water awareness can also be conducted in countries that have high levels of illiteracy in relation to water resources management. This initiative can be undertaken by influential persons within the society in order to attract the attention of the public on this imperative issue. References Maslow, A. (1943). Theory of Human Motivation. Psychological Reviews, 50(126), 370-396. Top of Form Bottom of Form Gupta, J., & Pahl-Wostl, C. (2010). Global Water Governance in the Context of Global and Multilevel Governance: Its Need, Form, and Challenges. Ecology and Society. Top of Form Bottom of Form Mirosa, O., & Harris, L. (n.d.). Human Right To Water: Contemporary Challenges And Contours Of A Global Debate. Antipode, No-No. Top of Form Bottom of Form Water Policie s in th e Developin g World. (2001). Wate R Resource S Developmen, 17(4). Top of Form Bottom of Form United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs. (2014). International Decade for Action WATER FOR LIFE 2005-2015. Geneva: UNDESA. Top of Form Bottom of Form UNESCO. (2013). Literacy and Non-Formal Education. Dakar: UNESCO OFFICE IN DAKAR. Top of Form Bottom of Form Muyibi, S., Ambali, A., & Eissa, G. (2012). The Impact of Economic Development on Water Pollution: Trends and Policy Actions in less Developed Nations. Water Resources Management, 485-508. Top of Form Bottom of Form Shin, H. (2010). Global Water Management Policies. Water Science & Technology: Water Supply, 49-49. Top of Form Bottom of Form Iglesias, E., & Blanco, M. ( 2013). New directions in water resources management: The role of water pricing policies. Water Resources Research. Top of Form Bottom of Form Porter, K. (2012). Global Water Resource Issues. Journal of Environment Quality, 628-628. Wildman, R. A., & Forde, N. A. (2012). Management of Water Shortage in the Colorado River Basin: Evaluating Current Policy and the Viability of Interstate Water Trading1. Journal Of The American Water Resources Association, 48(3), 411-422. doi:10.1111/j.1752-1688.2012.00665.x Read More