Nagappan, P. (2016, November 08). How Water Use Has Declined With Population Growth. Retrieved November 19, 2016, from https://www.newsdeeply.com/water/articles/ 2016/11/08/how-water-use-has-declined-with-population-growth
From 1980 to 2010, even with a steadily growing population, water consumption in the US has dropped significantly: From 440 billion gallons per day to 350 billion gallons. This a result of new irrigation methods, domestic appliances, and other technologies that have drastically cut water usage. Public engagement in cities like San Francisco and progressive environmental measures from the government like the Clean Water Act seem to be the catalysts for this effective massive conservation effort.
Even though population does put strains on many of the world’s natural resources, technology that curbs water consumption in the US seems to be a bright spot for the environmental community. An increasing population in the last few decades encouraged lawmakers to push agendas that allowed for the conservation of one of the world’s most valuable resources, and hopefully these issues can be addressed in similar ways in other parts of the world as well.
Nice to hear we’re doing good as a country in terms of water usage. Do you think it’s possible for developing countries to make similar progress as the U.S.? If not, should industrialized nations help provide the necessary technology?
It’s good that we continue to advance in technology to help problems such as water usage. Do you think that the efforts made in places such as California to limit water usage in places with droughts is a key factor to the decrease in water usage?
where was the water from before the new irrigation going? and how much has it been just conscious individuals leading to a decrease in consumption?