Inspired by one of my reader’s comments yesterday, I’ve done a little research and discovered a number of interesting facts about the world’s freshwater.

For starters, only 2.5% of the total water on earth is freshwater. Of that small percentage, 60% is trapped in glaciers and ice caps, 10% is found in surface waters (lakes and rivers), and 30% is found in groundwater. We are presently expropriating 54% of the total “blue water” (fresh surface and ground water) and that percentage is projected to increase to 70% by 2025.

While the earth has a remarkable ability to heal and cleanse itself, I have to wonder if there is some kind of toxic limit or point of no return beyond which the earth cannot self-purify sufficiently to maintain the population burden. If you’ve ever watched an individual paint himself into a corner through poor and dominantly short-sighted choices, it’s hard to deny the possibility of the same thing playing out on a collective, global scale over time.

According to the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP): “Equitable and sustainable management of water resources is a major global challenge. About one third of the world’s population lives in countries with moderate to high water stress with disproportionately high impacts on the poor. With current projected human population growth, industrial development and the expansion of irrigated agriculture in the next two decades, water demand will rise to levels that will make the task of providing water for human sustenance more difficult.” We human beings are a clever lot, though, and I imagine that most will try and push the limits, whatever they may be, rather than make difficult choices in order to avert a larger problem.

As with the discussion on petroleum, each one is wise to acquaint himself with the facts of the matter, and act accordingly. Here are just a few statistics I came across for your consideration:

• It takes 1,857 gallons of water to produce 1 pound of beef (Water Footprint Network 2010),
• 2,900 gallons of water to produce a pair of jeans (WFN) and
• 1 in 7 people on earth lack access to clean water (United Nations).
• By 2025, two-thirds of the global population will face water stress.
• Up to 70% of industrial wastes are pumped untreated into the usable water supply (UNESCO) and
• it takes 3 liters of water to produce 1 liter of bottled water (Pacific Institute).

It’s no wonder that the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and other large and generous charities are focusing so much on this pressing issue. Much can be done at the individual level to reduce water consumption and to decrease water pollution. I encourage you to look into it for yourself, your family and your company!