Water Photo Essay
All About Water
Uses of water, why its in trouble and how local demand has changed over the past 2000 years
Fishing
One of the many uses of water is to fish. It provides food and tools from the bones. However, fishing brings many concerns such as overfishing and invasive species being introduced. Fish farming and its safety concerns wouldn't have even entered the mind of a First Nations person over 1000 years ago and it wouldn't have really been a concern to the European settlers either.
Gold Panning
Another use of water would be gold panning. The European settlers would have mined the rivers and banks during the gold rush but today, gold panning is less common. A concern for the European settlers would be not bringing home enough gold to keep food on the table.
Pollution
Pollution is a major concern, especially in the modern world and future. Many species such as humans need fresh, clean water to drink. One of the major causes of pollution is humans. Pollution caused by humans would not have been a concern 10000-20000 years ago.
Drinking
Having clean, safe drinking water has always been a concern. Humans need to drink water to survive but whether that water is safe is becoming a more urgent question as time goes on.
Bathing and Cleaning
Bathing and cleaning ones self was less of a concern to the European settlers but it was still a use. Today, keeping good hygiene is an expected task so water is used to clean ourselves and our surroundings.
Giving to Animals/Livestock
Humans have employed the use of animals for thousands of years and like humans, they need water to survive.
Agriculture
Agriculture has always been a use for water. The European settlers farmed and today, we rely on water to give to our plants so they produce food. A ever growing concern is that there will not be enough water to keep the plants we need to eat alive.
Hyro Electric dams
Hydro electric dams are fairly new and would have not have have been around when the European settlers and First Nations were present. Today, we use these dams to generate electricity to power our homes. A concern tied to this is habitat destruction and pollution from the construction.
Transprotation
For thousands of years, water has been used as a method of transportation via boats. As time went on, these boats became larger, stronger and faster. Boats are extremely helpful and have been used for everything from war to recreation to transporting cargo. However, boats bring their own share of problems such as oil spills and and pollution. They can also carry unwanted passengers, invasive species.
Conclusion
In conclusion, humans are destroying the worlds water.