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Discussion: Is water really scarce?
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FabienneB |
Is water really scarce?
Sep 13 2008, 4:07 PM EDT
In our economy class we learned the definition for scarcity as a good that is desirable and limited. So I asked myself the question what about wather? On our powerpoint-presentation it says that 75 per cent of the whole world is covered by water. First of all only very little said water is fresh water. In some places fresh water is not a scarce but in other places it is - like in Africa. The conclusion is that the decision whether a good is a scarcity or not depends on the specific and not on a general situation. 0 out of 12 found this valuable. Do you?
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Sabrina.W |
1. RE: Is water really scarce?
Sep 14 2008, 9:02 AM EDT
onlhy 1/3 of the worlds fresh water is accesible. but there are machines that can desalinze water. Wate may be "scarce" in some regions of Africa, due to draughts ad such, but the produc as a whole is yet to be labeled as scarce. It is how ever a global issue because of the over consumption. Ther are ideas to recycle the water, and to charge mreo for the use of water. But wouldn't that consicuently further hurt those African countries?
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DominicMcNamee |
2. RE: Is water really scarce?
Sep 16 2008, 4:16 PM EDT
It depends a lot on the location. In a place like Switzerland where there are plenty of lakes, rivers and rain you could say that fresh water is not scarce. However in parts of Africa and Australia, where there is little rain it wold be considered scarce. For example in Melbourne, although it is not expensive to have water, there are limits on how much a household can use.
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SebastianHoefler |
3. RE: Is water really scarce?
Sep 17 2008, 3:22 AM EDT
The definition of Scarcity: A good that is limited and desirable. Is water limited? YES. Is it desirable? YES. Even if 75% of the earth is covered in water it is still considered scarce because it is not unlimited.
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Max.Spielbichler |
4. RE: Is water really scarce?
Sep 17 2008, 9:10 AM EDT
I agree with Dom on the matter of desalinization machines. The problem is that they are expensive, and most nations that are in need of these machines do not have the money to buy them. Another thing that is important, is the fact that some countries that have enormous amounts of water, either pollute it, or don't know how to make it clean. I would consider water a scarce resource, as it doesn't come as a free good in every corner of the world. The main reason for it being considered scarce is that it is highly demanded, and in countries where the water is polluted or in existent, there is a low supply.
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srainer |
5. RE: Is water really scarce?
Sep 18 2008, 5:07 PM EDT
Water, purified, clean, and drinkable, is actually very scarce. Most of the worlds water is salt water and a large majority of fresh water cannot be used for drinking because of pollution. I would consider drinking water scarce. No matter where a person lives, water has a price, depending on how scarce the water is effects the price. in the end, water will only become more scarce as people continue to pollute and developing countries use up all the water that is available to them. However, purifying water is an option but this is also very expensive, as max stated, and not very many countries, especially those in need of water, can afford this kind of technology.
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taylorcurry |
6. RE: Is water really scarce?
Sep 19 2008, 6:09 AM EDT
As stated earlier, water does make up 75% of the whole world. But 97% of that is sea water, which is expensive and difficult to desalinate. Another 2% is caught in the polar ice caps. Most estimates suggest that only 1% of the water in the world is clean for drinking. We need water to live, our body is made up of 2/3 water. Water is definitely a scarce resource because it is limited and will always be desirable.9 out of 13 found this valuable. Do you? |
alexsvensson |
7. RE: Is water really scarce?
Sep 21 2008, 12:46 PM EDT
Yes, water is in fact scarce! Even in a country like Switzerland it can be classified as scarce, as it is both desirable and limited. Now you could argue that it isn't extremely limited, as almost all people have access to it. However, Switzerland can only produce a certain amount of water annually, and one must not only look at personal water consumption. A large amount of industries require water to function properly, and companies are constantly trying to get water as cheaply as possible. Looking at water scarcity from a world-wide perspective, the current situation is as follows: 4 out of 10 people suffer from water scarcity. Will this number increase as the world-population increases, or will humans find a way to treat and distribute water more effectively? Only time will tell.
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LauraGambineri |
8. RE: Is water really scarce?
Sep 23 2008, 2:13 PM EDT
I agree with most answers, and my answer is YES, water is scarce. As some students have already said, water seems to be everywhere, and that in masses. But if we look closer, like Alex Svensson and Taylor Curry (thank you*), we see that water is not scarce at all. If most estimates suggest that only 1% of the water is clean for drinking, we definetly do not have enough. And although we have the knowledge and technology to built desalinization machines, it is at a risk to hope that everyone can be saved that way. So yes Fabienne, water is reallly scarce. :)
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GuillaumeDubois |
9. RE: Is water really scarce?
Sep 23 2008, 3:51 PM EDT
Well, is water scarce?Let's first look at the definitions of a free good and an economic good: A free good is a good that is desirable and unlimited. An economic good is a good that is desirable and limited. Well, we do need water, therefore we desire it, and demand it, and it is NOT unlimited. And until further notice that water can be made in mass quantities in laboratories for low prices, it is not unlimited. So, it is scarce. Therefore, I simply believe that water, no matter where you are, is a scarce resource that should be kept an eye on. 0 out of 5 found this valuable. Do you? |
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HelenPoxon |
10. RE: Is water really scarce?
Sep 23 2008, 5:42 PM EDT
Yes water is scarce! I have never really thought of this question until this year in economics and the fact that everyone keeps bring it up. (not a bad thing to bring up) I think personally that water is scarce because even though the world is covered in 75 percent only 1 whole percent of that water is actually clean.( As many of you have already mentioned before.) People don't tend to think of things as scarce in day to day activities, or become about worried about things being scarce until they hit the media and then everyone knows about the problem. I believe that water is unlimited there will be a point in the close upcoming future when we will have an eye opener of how scarce water really is. Water is used for so many things around us and is a major element to us as humans for survival that without clean fresh water we are dead.
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lauraMurray |
11. RE: Is water really scarce?
Sep 24 2008, 4:31 PM EDT
The world has a lot of water, and in a lot of places such as switzerland you can find clean, fresh water but if u think about Africa, many people die because they dont have fresh water which tehy can drink. In a lot of third world countries water is dirty and they dont have a possibility do get clean water which makes it scarce to them. In Switzerland i wouldnt necessarly say water is scarce as you can find it everywhere. you can even get it for free at waterfountains. people would die for the dupply of water as we have it. We can buy water for a low prices and other cant. Which makes it scarce as the defenition of scarcity explains that it is a good which is desirable but limited.
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cbuehler |
12. RE: Is water really scarce?
Sep 29 2008, 7:30 AM EDT
Water is not scarce because there is always the same amout of water on earth no matter what. The new technologies to purify water from the ocean have advanced alot in the past few years and now becomeing a premium source for water in middle eastern countries. It also depends on where you live, for example in middle of nowhere its harder to get to a water source than living in switzerland where water literally comes out of the ground.
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JoshAppleton |
13. RE: Is water really scarce?
Sep 29 2008, 7:30 AM EDT
Water is scarce it is true, however it is also a renewable resource which can be used again and again. Many people have stated that 75% of the earth is water but thankfully this water including the seawater can be purified so that it is drinkable. However this still shows that drinking water is scarce.
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VirginiaHasenmeyer |
14. RE: Is water really scarce?
Sep 29 2008, 11:26 AM EDT
Dear Fabienne!To answer your question, if water is scarce, I believe it depends where you are. For example here in Switzerland the fresh water is pretty clean. We wouldn't drink out of the lake, but for example people in Africa would, because they believe it is the cleanest ever. Yes, 75% of our earth is covered in water, but not all can be used. Salt water is a free good because it is all over and we do not have to pay for it and we think it is desirable. But on the other hand fresh water is not a real free good, you could drink it out of the lake but if you think about it we pay bills for electricity so that our water is warm. This is a luxury for many people in the world! Have you seen the commercials around trainstations?? The one with the toilet and the straw...I think it is soooo good! It catches your eye, and brings you back to reality! 0 out of 5 found this valuable. Do you? |
rdupeza |
15. RE: Is water really scarce?
Sep 29 2008, 3:46 PM EDT
every living thing needs water to survive and there has been life on earth for billions of years. As far as i can tell the 75 percent of water covering our earth has been there for a bout the same amount of time life has. So from thins i conclude that if there has been then same amount of water fro billions of years and life as been able to survive for all that time, consuming water yet not running out, then i can't see water being scarce. Obviously in the Sahara it might be hard to find water but people still do, am i right? So water is not scarce, it has huge demand but it is not limited or low on stock.
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rdupeza |
16. RE: Is water really scarce?
Sep 29 2008, 3:55 PM EDT
"onlhy 1/3 of the worlds fresh water is accesible. but there are machines that can desalinze water. Wate may be "scarce" in some regions of Africa, due to draughts ad such, but the produc as a whole is yet to be labeled as scarce. It is how ever a global issue because of the over consumption. Ther are ideas to recycle the water, and to charge mreo for the use of water. But wouldn't that consicuently further hurt those African countries?"Only 1/3 of the worlds fresh water is accessible. but there are machines that can desalinize water. Water may be "scarce" in some regions of Africa, due to drought and such, but the product as a whole is yet to be labeled as scarce. It is, however, a global issue because of the over consumption. There are ideas to recycle the water and to charge More for the use of water, but wouldn't that consequently further hurt those African countries? fixed. 6 out of 8 found this valuable. Do you? |
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FailBook |
17. RE: Is water really scarce?
Sep 30 2008, 2:38 PM EDT
just to say if you are selling water and it rains, you are a little SOL in terms of your business
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alexboedtker |
18. RE: Is water really scarce?
Oct 2 2008, 12:00 PM EDT
Ofcourse Water is scarce because there is a limited amount of it. On top of that the UN is starting to wonder if water will soon become the new oil because it is becoming more and more scarce and humans cannot live without water no matter what. Looking at what was said about water being scarce depending on location really doesn't apply because it will gone for all of us at one point. But it could SEEM more scarce is some places because they do not have as much as others
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jun.h.p |
19. RE: Is water really scarce?
Oct 3 2008, 5:33 AM EDT
Yes, scarcity does depend on the specifics of the situation; it is hard to find a general situation for scarcity. Drinkable water today, is very scarce, as pollution is increasingly becoming prevalent. It is predicted that major causes of wars would be water in the future. However, we can turn water into an abundant substance, if we could further develop our technology of cleansing dirty water, and preventing human pollutions from spreading.
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