Should Canada Share Its Freshwater With People in the Developing World - Research Paper Example

? Should Canada Share Its Freshwater With People in the Developing World Who Do not Have Access to Safe and Clean Freshwater? Lecturer: Institution: Course: Date: Should Canada Share Its Freshwater With People in the Developing World Who Do not Have Access to Safe and Clean Freshwater? Introduction The accessibility clean freshwater is the crucial determinant of economic and social advancement. This is so especially in developing nations where many citizens depend heavily on environmental resources for their livelihood. Water is a significant resource for sustaining social and economic development activities. It is an essential input for industries, hydropower generation, agricultural activities, subsistence or commercial agriculture and other significant purposes. These activities are the core livelihood of human well-being because they contribute to employment and national economic activities. However, access to safe and clean freshwater has become a global health issue and many nations, especially the developing economies, have been profoundly impacted by water scarcity. The WHO reveals that more than 3,900 children die annually because of waterborne infections (Miller & Spoolman, 2012). The developing nations are being impacted heavily by water related issues, and many families lack access to safe and clean freshwater. Almost half of the population in the developing nations lacks access to safe and clean freshwater because of natural phenomena such as climatic changes due to globalization, rainfall patterns and human factors including high population growth and pollution, thus threatening sustainable water resources. Reasons Why Canada Should Share Its Freshwater With People in the Developing World The increased demand for freshwater, increased population growth, overexploitation of natural resources and climatic changes are worsening the state of freshwater resources, hence the need for Canadians to share their freshwater with people in the developing nations. First, Canada should share freshwater with the developing nations because there is an increased demand for water sources in the developing world. This results from the high population growth rate in developing nations and overdependence on agricultural activities. Miller (2007) asserts that supplying freshwater for irrigation and drinking is one way of sustaining the earth. This is because many people in the developing nations depend heavily on agricultural activities as their backbone for economic growth. However, many of them are unable to achieve sustainability because of increased poverty levels, which is linked with water scarcity. Many of them undergo severe famine because of prolonged drought and water related diseases. Therefore, distribution of safe and clean water will reduce over-competition on scarce water resources and exploitation of water resources, hence achievement of sustainable development. Moreover, the increased population growth rate contributes to an increased demand for water; thus, there is the need for Canadian government to supply adequate fresh water to the developing world. The world report on population reveals that many developing nations have the highest population rate and this contributes to associated problems such as competition for the available scarce resources, encroaching on the water resources areas such as wetlands and forested areas (Bundschuh & Hoinkis, 2012). Wetlands and forests play significant functions in maintaining natural resources, but overpopulation, pollution and competition for natural resources threaten the sustainability of such natural resources. Therefore, it is the role of Canadian government to work with other international policy makers to contribute to the global agenda of managing water resources and distributing quality water (Canada, 2005). They will provide access to technology and offer effective training programs in the key development areas of water resource management. This will benefit the developing nations, thus enabling them to access quality water and achieving sustainability. Climatic changes are the main reason for increased environmental degradation in the developing world, hence the need for Canadian government to distribute freshwater to developing nations. Climatic changes result from globalization in the contemporary society, thus contributing to global warming and pollution of the environment (Jorgenson & Kick, 2006). Most people who have been impacted by globalization issues are people from the developing world. The majority of developing nations are unable to achieve millennium development goals because of severe climatic changes and exhaustion of natural resources such as forests and fresh water. Despite the efforts made by the developed nations, still developing nations are unable to achieve sustainability because of water scarcity issues. This is contributed to by increased pollution of water resources and poor water conservation measures. According to the research report study, globalization has impacted the developing world because of the need to achieve a competitive advantage in the market (Simpson, Toman, & Ayres, 2005). This has led to significant global changes, hence increased environmental degradation in many developing nations. Water is needed for all aspects of living; thus, adequate supply of quality water will maintain the entire population and improve their livelihood. Water is vital because it is used for various purposes such as agricultural, industrial and other related human activities. As far as clean and fresh water consumption is concerned, many developing nations are unable to access freshwater, and this has significantly impacted the socio-economic activities. Distributing fresh water and encoring conservation of natural resources in developing nations are significant. This is because many people in the developing world depend heavily on agricultural activities, so providing them with adequate freshwater is vital. For instance, the tropical forests in the Sub-Saharan regions of African have been altered. This has led to changes of rainfall patterns because forest resources play a significant role in rainfall patterns. R. M. Collin and R. W. Collin (2010) argue that conservation of natural resource in the environment is essential because it contributes to sustainability. Therefore, sharing freshwater will enable the Canadian government to help the developing world to reduce exploitation of water resources. Canada should share its freshwater with people in the developing world because adequate and safe sanitation is implicitly connected to Canada’s achievement of the millennium development goals (MDGs) across the globe. The supply of safe water and improvement of sanitation in order to protect the health of human beings has become a global issue. The world summit on sustainable development introduced Agenda 21 on promoting sustainable environment, thus water became one of the issues of Agenda 21 tackled in the summit (Kemp, 2004). Therefore, provision of safe and clean freshwater is one of the major roles that the Canadian government should assume in order to achieve its MDG goals. Many people in the developing nations are unable to afford safe drinking water, and others do not have access to basic sanitation. The Canadian government should make efforts to achieve sustainable developments goals, and this is through providing safe and clean water in developing nations. This is because water is essential for human livelihood and it is the central measure for social and economic sustainability. Gleick and Cooley (2009) argue that provision of water and sanitation are the central means of eliminating poverty, thus improving the lives across the globe. For instance, effective management of water resources can increase industrial and agricultural activities, thereby increasing the social economic opportunities. Sharing safe water with the developing nations is one way through which the Canadian government can promote education and gender equality. Many children in developing nations are unable to achieve their education goals because of water scarcity and water based disease issues. Many of them are affected by water-based diseases such as typhoid and diarrhea. Others miss education because of caring for the sick family members. This, in turn, impacts their learning activities and opportunities to overcome poverty. Unsafe drinking water contributes to maternal health issues and increases the child mortality rate in developing nations (Rothman, 2000). In most cases, mothers give birth in poor sanitation environment, thus lacking clean and safe water. The efforts of distributing and sharing clean water by the Canadian government will significantly reduce the child mortality and improve maternal health in the developing world. Sharing freshwater will promote gender equity because, in most cases, women and young girls are the ones impacted mostly by poor freshwater accessibility. This is because they are the ones who fetch water from water sources; thus, they spend most of their time traveling to far areas and searching for clean and safe water. This, in turn, impacts the education of female children because they do not get enough time for studies. Conclusion Canada should share freshwater with the developing nations because there is increased demand for water sources in the developing world. Moreover, the increased population growth rate contributes to increased demand for water; thus, there is the need for supplying adequate fresh water to the developing world. Climatic changes have impacted the developing world, hence the need for Canadian government to distribute freshwater to developing nations. Water is needed for all aspects of living, so adequate supply of quality water is essential. Canada should distribute freshwater to the developing world because adequate and safe sanitation is among their MDGs. Therefore, sharing safe freshwater with the developing nations is one way through which they can promote education and gender equity. References Bundschuh, J., & Hoinkis, J. (2012). Renewable energy applications for freshwater production. Leiden: CRC Press. Canada. (2005). Freshwater: The role and contribution of Natural Resources Canada. Ottawa: Natural Resources Canada. Collin, R. M., & Collin, R. W. (2010). Encyclopedia of sustainability. Santa Barbara, Calif: Greenwood Press. Gleick, P. H., & Cooley, H. (2009). The world's water, 2008-2009: The biennial report on freshwater resources. Washington, DC: Island Press. Jorgenson, A., & Kick, E. L. (2006). Globalization and the environment. Leiden: Brill. Kemp, D. D. (2004). Exploring environmental issues: An integrated approach. London: Routledge. Miller, G. T. (2007). Sustaining the earth: An integrated approach. Princeton, N.J: Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic. Miller, G. T., & Spoolman, S. (2012). Living in the environment. Pacific Grove, Calif: Brooks/Cole Cengage Learning. Rothman, H. (2000). Saving the planet: The American response to the environment in the twentieth century. Chicago: Ivan R. Dee. Simpson, R. D., Toman, M. A., & Ayres, R. U. (2005). Scarcity and growth revisited: Natural resources and the environment in the new millennium. Washington, DC: Resources for the Future. Read More