There’s a docuseries on Netflix called Explained that probes topics and provides in-depth explanations on that particular topic.

K-Pop, extraterrestrial life, the stock market are just a few of them.

Some may be useful, others more for entertainment, but I tuned into episode-one discussing the issue of the world’s water crisis. Living in Southern California for over a decade where droughts are becoming common, water is always on people’s mind, so why-not check it out.

I’d like to say that I’ve always been more aware than the average person on how and where the usage of water goes. But after watching this episode on the water-crisis and all the different ways on how we’ve been wasteful, it was quite an eye-opener.

Maybe I’ve been naive, but it is quite shocking how much water is used and consumed on some of the most basic items that surround us.

Here is some data that the episode shared. Some you may know, some not:

  1. We have 326 million trillion gallons of water on earth. That’s a lot. Try to write that number out.
  2. However, 97 percent is salt water. That doesn’t do well for human bodies. Another two percent is at the poles. Kinda far away and frozen. So basically, the billions of us are all fighting for just that one percent of usable H20.
  3. To make things more challenging, most of that one percent is underground. Very hard and expensive to get. So that leaves us with competing for all the water above ground. Rivers, lakes, etc.
  4. Now think of that one-percent of water (above ground only). Depending on where you’re at in the world, it may not be that easily accessible. Imagine if you were in the Middle East where it’s nothing but sand and dirt, and your fresh springs are hundreds of miles away. Not cool.
  5. Despite there only being one-percent that is somewhat, easily accessible, seven out of 10 people in the world can count on having clean, running water in their homes. Somewhat of a relief for now.

Now let’s get more into usage and where most of our water goes.

  1. The average person needs about two gallons of water a day. One gallon for consumption and the other for brushing your teeth, showering, so-on and so-forth. That doesn’t count the three-gallons that it may take to flush the toilet every time you do your business.
  2. But the above usage only accounts for about eight percent of freshwater use each year. The biggest culprit?
  3. Agriculture and industry. This accounts for the remaining 92 percent of usage (70 percent agriculture, 22 percent industry). Yeah. I know.

Now, let’s break it down a bit more into the actual products and food.

  1. That 20 oz. bottle of soda you’re having right now. To make it and package that bottle requires 35 liters. Yeah. To drink that 20 oz. on-the-go, requires 35 liters to make it happen.
  2. That cup of coffee you have in the morning? On average 130 liters.
  3. That stylish graphic, cotton t-shirt you got on right now: 2,500 liters.
  4. That hamburger you’re about to destroy at lunch: 1,500 liters. And that’s mainly due to the alfalfa the cows eat, which is 510 liters per kilogram to make.

At this rate of consumption, by the year 2040 most of the world won’t have enough water to meet their demand year-round. Think about that. If you have a newborn at home, they could be struggling to get clean water by the time they’re in college.

The episode goes on to talk about the costs of obtaining water and how far to even transport it. It’s very interesting and informative.

The global water-crisis is very real. It’s getting worse. Sometimes we take the most basic things for granted, and think they’ll be there tomorrow. But everything has a limit. I’m not saying people are 100 percent of the problem. There’s climate change and other factors that come into play.

Can you imagine one-day (perhaps in only a few decades) you turn on the faucet and nothing comes out? Freaky, right? If you have access to Netflix, I’d say check this out. It may give you a different or enhanced perspective on this topic. It definitely opened up my eyes to some things.