© Photo: Gary and Joanie McGuffin
Water, Water, Everywhere…
Every day, most of us turn on the tap and take it for granted that an endless supply of clean, safe drinking water will flow out. Yet Canada’s freshwater resources aren’t nearly as abundant as you’d think. In fact, our belief in unlimited water is a dangerous myth.
Given that our country has so many rivers and lakes, it’s easy to see why Canadians may take fresh water for granted. After all, we're often told that Canada has some 20% of the world's total freshwater resources.
In reality, we receive less than 7% of our planet’s supply of renewable water (water that is replaced in any given year through rain and snowfall) and over half of this water flows north, away from our southern border where the majority of Canadians live. Still, we continue to take our fresh water for granted. We need to work together to end this myth that Canada has an unlimited fresh water supply and make the necessary lifestyle changes. If not, we face the real possibility of increasing water scarcity in the future.
Next article: Over-Consumption
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