scarcity of fresh drinking water

[Nikkie]

The toughest challenge of human of the 21th century may not be pandemic disease such as SARS or the threat of nuclear war, but may in fact turn out to be a lack of fresh water. Lakes with fresh water around us are disappearing, and thousands of millions of people in this world are reluctantly ingesting contaminated water due to the incredibly high price of clean water.

Undeniably, the responsibility of the panic of lacking fresh water should be assumed by us human beings. Almost every people are wasting water by means of inefficient appliance, polluting as well as poor technology of developing water resources. It can be seen almost in every season in China, for instance, that while north area are suffering from the drought, south of the china are flooding. What makes things worse is the horribly increasing speed of humanity population. Only within 40 years, the amount of human have doubled which caused twice need of water as the same time.

The problem now facing humanity is how to control the terrific tendency of water shortage before it threaten the existence of human and all inhabitants in this world. As what has been done in many countries, researches are funded for new technology. Experts are trying to research the way to save water by improving the way we use water in agriculture and industry, and to find out the new technologies to create source of water supply, such as sea water manufacturing. However, it is the education which could play the most direct and fundamental role in this coming disaster. Not all the people have realized the shortage of water, not to mention those who are wasting it with variety of ways without any consciousness. In terms of the growing population, even now people living in some parts of the world regard having children as a great honor.

Personally, compared with the diminishing fresh water resource, the measures we used nowadays seem to be far more than enough, and the problem of fresh water scarcity will soon reach such a degree that it would be unmanageable if we even slowly carry out the correct measures. Therefore, people should take it as a top priority for not only the future of humanity, but that of all the creatures sharing the earth with us as well.


TOEFL listening lectures: A lecture from an arts class (2)