The global community face different challenges due to the rising scarcity of different resources that are essential for its survival. Speaking from this point of view, there is a need to observe that in future, there is a high likelihood that conflicts across the globe will increase significantly as different regions, nations and communities fight for the available limited resources. In reference to Mazin (2007), the declining natural resources in different parts of the globe are likely to reignite old conflicts as well as cause new ones. One of the natural resources that have been declining at an alarming rate is fresh water. In reference to Mckie (2015), aquifers and reservoirs of fresh water across the globe have been drying up, thus limiting the access of close to one billion people to safe drinking water. There are concerns that the declining availability of fresh water across the globe could be devastating. This paper explores whether fresh water shortage could cause a global crisis.
全球社会面临着不同的挑战，因为对其生存至关重要的各种资源日益稀缺。从这一角度讲，需要注意的是，随着不同区域、和社区争夺现有有限资源，未来全球冲突极有可能大幅增加。关于Mazin（2007年），全球不同地区自然资源的减少可能会重新引发旧的冲突，也会引发新的冲突。淡水是以惊人速度减少的自然资源之一。参考Mckie（2015），全球的含水层和淡水水库都在干涸，从而限制了近10亿人获得安全饮用水。有人担心，全球淡水供应量的下降可能是灾难性的。本文探讨淡水短缺是否会导致全球危机。
To begin with, there are numerous factors that have contributed to a decline in the availability of fresh water across the globe. To begin with, one of the greatest negative impacts to fresh water availability is the changing environmental conditions across the globe. According to Peck (1996), the variation in regional precipitation as well as the changing seasons such as monsoons that are then followed by long dry seasons contributes to decline fresh water in different regions across the globe. Furthermore, some regions across the globe experience lower precipitations levels and higher evaporation rate due to the rising global temperatures, which contributed to low to no availability of fresh water. This decline in precipitation and the rise in evaporation rate have resulted in a decline in land vegetation covers in these regions, thus exacerbating the situation. For instance, Onishi and Sengupta () observe that due to the three-year drought period triggered by El Niño, water availability in Cape Town is at risk despite the existence of the best water management policies in this city. Thus, environmental conditions contribute immensely to fresh water shortage across the globe.
首先，有许多因素导致全球淡水供应量下降。首先，对淡水供应的更大负面影响之一是全球环境条件的变化。根据Peck（1996年）的研究，区域降水量的变化以及季节的变化，如季风，然后是漫长的旱季，导致全球不同地区的淡水减少。此外，由于全球气温上升，全球一些地区的降水量较低，蒸发率较高，这导致淡水供应不足或根本没有。降水量的减少和蒸发率的上升导致这些地区的土地植被减少，从而使情况恶化。例如，Onishi和Sengupta（）观察到，由于厄尔尼诺引发的三年干旱期，开普敦的水资源供应面临风险，尽管开普敦存在更好的水资源管理政策。因此，环境条件极大地导致了全球淡水短缺。
Apart from environmental factors, another factor that contributes to the decline of fresh water across the globe is the increased agricultural activities. Arguably, research and studies reveal that agriculture accounts for close to 65 percent of the withdrawal of freshwater across the globe (Abunnour, Hashim & Jaafar, 2016). The increasing demand for water for agricultural activities is fuelled by the increasing demand for food across the globe due to rapidly increasing population. Apart from this, there is a need to observe that agriculture too contributes a significant portion of water pollution across the globe. In reference to Parris (2011), the agricultural sectors pollutes groundwater, marine waters and surface water with pathogens, nitrate, soil sediment, pesticide, salt and phosphorus, which are the main components used in the production of food and livestock. Speaking from this point of view, there is a need to observe that agriculture both pollutes and excessively use freshwater, leading to the decline of this resource.
除了环境因素外，导致全球淡水减少的另一个因素是农业活动的增加。可以说，研究和研究表明，农业占全球淡水提取量的近65%（Abunnour、Hashim&Jaafar，2016）。由于人口迅速增加，全球各地对粮食的需求不断增加，从而推动了农业活动用水需求的增加。除此之外，需要注意的是，农业也是全球水污染的重要组成部分。参考Parris（2011），农业部门通过病原体、硝酸盐、土壤沉积物、农药、盐和磷污染地下水、海水和地表水，这些是食品和牲畜生产中使用的主要成分。从这个角度讲，有必要观察到农业既污染淡水，又过度使用淡水，导致淡水资源的减少。