Water Crisis in Mexico
What often occurs in Mexico City due to the fact that the lake it was originally build upon has now been completely drained for development projects.
Flooding
How much water does average person drink each day?
1 gallon
Describe the breakdown of water on Earth
- What percent is salt water?
- What percent is freshwater?
- Of the freshwater, what percent is available for human use?
97% salt water
3% freshwater
Of this 3% only 1% is available for human use because 2% of freshwater is frozen in the ice caps at the poles.
Where do most donated clothes end up?
Landfill
Name the three major areas of global water use and the % of water they use.
Personal needs (ie. drinking/sanitation) - 8%, Agriculture - 70%, Industry - 22%
Besides contributing to the water crisis, name another negative side effect of Mexico City draining its local aquifers.
The city is sinking, in some places up to 9in/year.
On average, how much water do humans use per day for activities such as washing their hands & brushing teeth.
2-3 gallons
Name 4 sources of freshwater
1. Lakes
2. Rivers
3. Groundwater/Aquifer
4. Precipitation
Name at least 3 fashion outlets that have started recycling programs.
Levis, Adidas, Nike, Zara, H &M
What is significant about Cape Town in relation to the water crisis.
In 2018 Cape Town declared it was approaching Day Zero, the day they would have to indefinitely shut off its water supply due to severe drought.
Name five reasons why Mexico City is facing a water crisis.
1. Lake Mexico City was originally built on drained for development & population of Mexico City explodied and rapidly increasing since 1950s.
2. 42% of water network broken (ie. leaky pipes) which results in almost half of water supply being lost.
3. 50% of water supply comes from aquifers which take milenia to refill.
4. 2016 federal decree passed that makes it easier for large corporations to set up operations in Mexico. These privatization projects are extremely water intensive.
5. Climate change is resulting in longer dry period and less snowmelt; reducing the amount of freshwater available from precipitation.
6. Pollution (ie. sewage & industrial/agricultural waste) being dumped into rivers/lakes.
How many L of water required to produce a single quarter-pound burger?
1,6500L
How much water is needed per person to meet requirements necessary for basic human rights and how much does the average Canadian use per day?
60L required per person to meet individual basic needs related to drinking and sanitation. Average Canadian uses 331L/day.
What are some of the issues related to fast fashion outlets recycling campaigns?
It's a form of greenwashing and an easy sustainability win for big business. They don't actually have to change their business model and in fact encourage even further spending/waste by offering coupons for discounts when people donate old clothes.
Fill in the blanks:
___ % of human population lives within ___ km of a freshwater source.
90% of human population lives within 10km of a freshwater source.
Describe the cause and nature of the challenges locals are facing in Mexicali?
in 2017 Constellation Brands, the maker of Modelo & Corona beers, signed an agreement to build a brewery in Mexicali. The brewery requires 20 million cubic metres of water/year to operate. This will result in Mexicali running out of ground water in just 2-3 years. The amount of water required for brewery operations is more than twice that of the city and due to government regulations this privatization project gives prioritizes access/use of available water to big business to profit rather than protecting basic right to clean water & sanitation of Mexicali locals.
How many gallons of water/hr are required to power household appliances in the US?
10 gallons/hr
1. Big corporations would not set up operations in places like Mexico.
2. 95% of farmland wouldn't rely on most inefficient irrigation methods (ie. flooding).
3. Governments more likely to repair broken water infrastructure.
Explain the clothing deficit myth and explain where clothes actually go if charities cannot sell/find users.
The clothing deficit myth is the idea that when we give clothes to a charity or recycling program that they go to someone locally in our community in need. In fast fashion era, however, there are more unwanted clothes than there are needy people. Therefore, what charities/organizations can't use is sold to a middle man who ships it overseas and turns around and sells it for a profit to local vendors overseas in Africa & South America. When clothing fails to sell there it then also gets dumped into landfill.
Describe additional negative outcomes of growing water scarcity and provide a specific example.
Water scarcity is driving violent conflict around world.
Ex 1. Conflict in Darfur
Ex 2. Syrian civil war caused in large part by severe drought in 2006
Describe the significance of the Colorado River in relation to the conflict between locals and Constellation Brands in Mexicali.
Mexico's main water source is the Colorado River which is fed by melting snow in the Rocky Mountains. Due to climate change and warmer temperatures there is less snow therefore less river. Additionally the Colorado River first passes and supplies many major American cities & farmland with water before reaching Mexico.
How many gallons of water are required to produce a pair of jeans?
2,866 gallons
What makes the water sustainability crisis so challenging.
Water is not like any other commodity on Earth. It is an invaluable resource that everybody requires.
Beyond creating mass amounts of textile waste, what other negative impact does has the shipping of unwanted clothes overseas to Africa created?
Destroying local textile market
What is desalination and why is it currently not a viable solution to the water sustainability crisis?
Desalination is the process of transform salt or brackish water into water that meets drinking level standards. Currently desalinated water production still only accounts for <1% of water we use. This is because it is a highly energy-intensive and time-consuming process that is very expensive.