It makes up between 55 and 75 percent of our total body weights, depending on our age.
Although research on the topic lacks critical data for ethical reasons, most scientists readily agree that we can't survive more than three to eight days without it.
Over a billion people across the globe lack safe and consistent access to it, and many have to walk two to three kilometers to get even close to enough of it every day.
What is it? Water, of course, and specifically drinking water.
No matter how hard you look, literally nothing is more critical to sustaining life. By 2015, the World Health Organization predicts, fully half of the world's people will be living in "water-stressed areas" — where access to clean and safe drinking water will become less and less predictable. Climate change has a lot to do with that fact, and we all know that the fast-paced convenience economies that have emerged in more recent decades, that rely on entirely disposable products, shoulder their fair share of the blame.
If we want our children and grandchildren to be left with a planet that remains viable — and we do, right? — research has made it beyond clear that we're going to have to radically rethink the way we live and consume. Examining the way we use and drink water is a crucial part of that, and proactive changes need to follow immediately thereafter.
Do you drink bottled water? Unless you have a good reason, you need to stop.
Looking at global water consumption means looking at a planet with glaring inequalities.
On the one hand, research shows:
- 785 million people in the world lack access to even a basic improved water source, like a pump or well.
- Two million people are forced to rely on water sources that are frequently contaminated with feces.
- In the poorest countries around the world, up to a fifth of healthcare facilities lack water services — imagine what it's like in homes.
On the other hand, in developed countries, the bottled water market is growing at alarming rates. Over 600 million US households now often rely on bottled water for their everyday needs, many despite having access to completely safe tap water. That's over a million bottles per minute, in case you were wondering.
People in developed countries don't turn to bottle water because they have no other choice, but primarily because bottled water is convenient and easy to transport. They drink bottled water because they like the way it tastes better, or because they're trying to wean themselves off sugary sodas and other bottled beverages.
Bottled water may offer a lifeline if you live somewhere where tap water simply isn't safe, or in an emergency after a natural disaster, or if you're on the road in the middle of nowhere. Drinking bottled water when a tap that offers (still, right now) endless quantities of clean and safe drinking water means you're part of the problem, however.
The research, conducted by a team of scientists from Spain, where over 60 percent of the population chooses bottled water at least occasionally, backs the idea that bottled water is bad for the environment up with hard facts. Previous studies had already uncovered that tap water is more environmentally sustainable than bottled water, regardless of the type of water processing system used, as well as that the sharply rising bottled water market has a large negative impact on ocean life. We also know, from previous research, that bottled water contains higher levels of trihalomethanes, harmful chemicals left over from the disinfection process, which are in some cases carcinogenic.
Now we also know that bottled water is 3500 times as bad for the Earth as tap water, and that we're contributing to climate change every time we choose the convenience of a plastic bottle that we then throw away without care.
Are there safety concerns over the tap water you have access to, or don't you have any choice but to drink bottled water? Then, go ahead and appreciate that bottled water without guilt. If, like me, you're sitting mere meters away from a tap that offers clean drinking water, though, let eliminating bottled water be your next step toward sustainability. And if you're on the go, refill a reusable bottle instead of buying a fresh new bottle or water. Your quality of life won't suffer, and you'll be helping to create a more sustainable future.