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Food & Climate

Basics

2. Climate change

Worksheet 3: The availability of water

1. Are droughts and flooding happening more often?

The availability water as a resource

Climate change alters the amount of rainfall world wide.

In some regions flooding occurs. In others, however, deserts spread and droughts threaten these areas.

1. Dry region. Courtesy: Hemera - big box of art.

Food production is negatively affected, particularly in Third World Countries, leading to problems with food supply. Low rainfall in these areas means that water becomes a scarce resource.

However water is essential for life.

- Think about what you use water for.
- Write down why you need the water, estimate or measure how much you use.
- Work out how much water you need each day.

In most developed countries we have water meters which measure how much water we use.

The statistics show how much water one person in Germany uses in a day.

Reason

average consumption

your consumption

Bath/shower

50 litres

...

toilet flush

40 litres

...

laundry

18 litres

...

dish washer

8 litres

...

garden

6 litres

...

food / drinks

3 litres

...

car wash

3 litres

...

s.th. else

4 litres
...

TOTAL

132 litres
...

source: www.stadtwerke-osnabrueck.de/2573.htm

Plants, animals and human beings all need water. Water is a very important resource and we shouldn't waste it.

2. Cliparts from: Hemera - big box of art.

Now try to answer the following questions:

1. How many days can a human being live without water?

a) Just one day.

b) A maximum of three 3 days.

c) A maximum of five days.

2. Which animals can survive for a long time without any water?

a) Penguins.

b) Birds.

c) Camels.

3. And where do these animals live?

a) In the tundra.

b) In deserts.

c) In tropical rainforests.

In developing countries in tropical and subtropical regions there is often a huge lack of water. Women have to walk long distances to get water from a well and carry it home. In many cases the water is not clean and contains bacteria which cause illnesses.

Water is a very valuable resource and it should be used wisely. It is even more important than fossil fuels which provide us with energy and warmth.

Write down some suggestions how we can each reduce the amount of water we use everyday. Look on the Internet for other ideas.

At the Climate and Environmental Conference in Rio de Janeiro, Brasil, the 22^ndof March was declared as the Day of Water. This day is supposed to remind everybody of the importance of water.

In Northern Africa and the Arabian peninsula there are so called oases. Oases are villages which flourish in the middle of the desert. You may have seen an oasis on your holidays.

How important is water to the inhabitants of an oasis?

Write down a little essay about it.

Have a look in an encyclopedia and find out more about this topic!

What is correct?

1) Which plant is often seen in an oasis?

a) date palm
b) cactuses
c) sugar cane
d) rice

2) Where does the water in an oasis come from?

a) By a water pipe from a nearby city.
b) The water is brought to the oasis by huge trucks.
c) The water comes up to the surface from wells or the ground water.
d) It rains alot above the oasis.

3) Where in the world can you find an oasis?

a) in middle Europe
b) in Northern Africa and the Arabic peninsula
c) in South America
d) in Southeast Asia

Dry periods are the reason why deserts spread in some areas. Trees and plants dry out and places where conditions are suitable for human and animal life are lost. Too much rain falling in a very short time also causes great problems for nature and humans.

Think about flood catastrophes.

What are the consequences of floods for people and environment? Search the Internet for information.

3. Cliparts from: Hemera - big box of art.

Linklist

Consumption of water:

http://www.wateryear2003.org/en/ev.php@URL_ID=1609&
URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html

Numbers and facts about water:

http://www.wateryear2003.org/en/ev.php@URL_ID=1462&
URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html

Day of the water:

http://www.eyath.gr/en/minimata.asp
http://www.wateryear2003.org/en/ev.php@URL_ID=1456&
URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html

Spread of deserts:

http://www.wateryear2003.org/en/ev.php@URL_ID=5137&
URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html

Flood article:

http://www.magazin-deutschland.de/content/archiv/archiv-eng
/02-05/art2.html

About this page:

author: B. Wohlhöfer - University of Nürnberg, Nürnberg, Germany
educational reviewing: Dr. Helmut Schrettenbrunner and Julia Heres - University of Nürnberg, Nürnberg, Germany
last update: 2003-12-17