Water in the World Water in its three forms: as a liquid, in the lake; as a solid, in the snow and ice on top of the mountains; and in vapour form, in the clouds Water as a resource • What resources do we need to survive? • A vital resource • Resources include: water, fossil fuels and mineral deposits • Access to these supplies is not distributed equally around the planet, and attitudes towards them may differ or change over time. • As the global population increases, great damage is being done to the environment as a result of using these resources. • We need to carefully manage our use of them to ensure that these resources are available for use in the future. • If it could be properly harnessed, enough sunlight falls on the Earth in just one hour to meet world energy demands for a whole year! • Glass is made from silica sand and limestone, both of which are mined. • Every day 50 to 100 species of plants and animals become extinct due to habitat loss and human influences. • Did you know that if you cannot grow something, it has to be mined, manufactured or recycled? • Crude oil isn’t used only in fuel. All the plastic you see around you uses crude oil. Even some soaps and shampoos contain chemicals that are derived from oil. • One wind turbine can produce enough electricity to power up to 300 homes. • Natural forest area is reduced by 60 000 square kilometres per year around the globe (an area about the size of Ireland). • About 10 million passenger cars are manufactured each year in the United States. Natural resources are used to make the 15 000 parts in each of those cars. • Of the 193 000 metric tons of gold discovered to date, 62 per cent is found in just four countries.
