9.7.1 What is the human right to water? Everyone has the right to water, which is very important for survival. We can go three weeks without food but only two or three days without water. Each person needs about 1000 litres of drinking water per year, 100 cubic metres for other needs and 1000 cubic metres to grow their food. Water stress happens when there isn’t enough water for everyone. If a country has less than 1000 cubic metres of fresh water per person, it’s under water stress. Water scarcity means not having enough water or having trouble getting it. 9.7.2 Access to water FIGURE2 highlights that in central Asia and northern Africa, water is very scarce. In 2024, the United Nations estimated that by 2050, up to 5 billion people (more than half the world’s population) might not have enough water. Rural areas are most at risk, resulting in many people moving to urban areas. These people are referred to as water refugees.
FIGURE2 Distribution of global water stress
ARCTIC OCEAN
Arctic Circle
Central Asia
Middle East
Western North America
Mediterranean
ATLANTIC
PACIFIC
Eastern Asia
Tropic of Cancer
OCEAN
OCEAN
Western South America
South Asia
Northern Horn of Africa
Sahel
Equator
INDIAN
Global water stress
Global water stress hotspots (2021) Extremely high stress Very high stress Medium to high stress Low to medium stress Low stress No data
OCEAN
Tropic of Capricorn
Southern Africa
Southeast Australia
0
2500
5000 km
Source: World Meteorological Organization, 2021 State of Climate Services — Water (Geneva, Switzerland: World Meteorological Organization, 2021), pg. 8. Map drawn by Spatial Vision.
SkillBuilder discussion Concluding and decision-making, Communicating 1. Study FIGURE2 . Which regions show the highest levels of water stress on the map? 2. What factors contribute to water stress in coastal areas? 3. How does water stress vary between developed and developing regions on the map?
280 Jacaranda Humanities Alive 7 Victorian Curriculum Third Edition
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