The Water Crisis: A Women’s Issue

Freshwater is an essential, but very limited, resource across the globe. Only 2.5% of the Earth’s water is freshwater, while the other 97.5% is saline, including oceans and salt-contaminated groundwater. According to National Geographic, of the freshwater that does exist, around 69% is contained in glaciers, 30% takes the form of groundwater, and only the remaining 1% is readily available for human use. 

Globally, we are experiencing a water crisis. National Geographic has found that around 20% of the world’s population currently lives in water-scarce areas and 1.8 billion people do not have access to safe and clean drinking water. What’s more, these conditions are expected to worsen in the coming years due, in large part, to climate change and increased water consumption. The United Nations Institute for Water, Environment, and Health states: “Between now and 2050, water demands are expected to increase by 400% from manufacturing and 130% from household use.” Moreover, it is estimated that by 2050, 3.9 billion individuals (over 40% of the world’s population) will live in severely water-stressed river basins as a result of climate change. 

The water crisis has unique consequences for women. This article will explore the intersectionality of inadequate access to clean drinking water and discuss solutions that support women.

To read the rest of this article, follow this link to the Starfish Canada website where the original piece has been published:

The Water Crisis: A Women's Issue - The Starfish Canada

Light & Life Below the Waterline: An Arctic Focus

The Arctic Ocean is made up of a delicate and diverse ecosystem of marine life. Climate change has had widespread effects on this ecosystem, including well-known impacts such as thinning sea ice, species extinction, and increasing temperature of permafrost. However, one lesser known consequence of climate change in the Arctic is widespread exposure to light. Changing light patterns have the potential to alter patterns in marine arctic food chains, and can even affect the humans that call this region home.

Both natural and artificial light levels are changing in the Arctic Ocean. Recently, this region has experienced higher temperatures and fewer extreme cold events, leading to melting ice. Thinner ice allows more natural light to enter marine ecosystems through increased transparency and gaps. At the same time, the amount of artificial light has also increased, as thinning ice has created more open passages in the Arctic Ocean. As the number of open passages increases, the scientific, fisheries, and tourism sectors have encouraged human presence in the Arctic, and their associated equipment emits light that would not naturally occur in the area.

Increased natural light is impacting marine arctic ecosystems from the bottom up.

To read the rest of this article, follow this link to the Starfish Canada website where the original piece has been published:

Light & Life Below the Waterline: An Arctic Focus – The Starfish Canada