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CYCLE uses 0 drops of drinking water in the production of its cleaning products. Why? Because our drinking water supply is finite, even though it flows from the tap. How finite is it? Is Hungary really the land of water? Or is this a misconception?
How much freshwater do we have?
The human body is approximately 60% water. And about 71% of the Earth's surface is covered with water. That is why it is called the "blue planet". If water were evenly distributed, a layer of water 2,700 meters deep would form on the Earth's surface.
97% of this huge amount of water is in the oceans and seas. However, due to their high salt content, they are not directly suitable for drinking water use. And getting rid of the salt requires an investment of energy.
So only a few percent of the Earth's water supply is freshwater. More precisely, 2.5% of it is frozen (in glaciers and polar ice caps), and only 0.5% of it is available. This is mainly found as groundwater underground, and to a lesser extent as surface water (lakes and rivers), and in the atmosphere as fog, water vapor, and clouds. Since it is extremely scarce, every drop of it must be appreciated, as it is considered a rarity in nature. However, most of it is used for agricultural purposes.
How much freshwater do developed countries use?
Groundwater is the most suitable source of drinking water because it absorbs various organic and inorganic substances and microorganisms from the soil. However, according to some estimates, developed industrial countries use almost 3 times as much water as the natural water cycle provides. For this reason, the water shortage has to be covered increasingly by expensive purification of polluted surface water.
According to a WHO study, it takes 140 liters of water to make a single cup of coffee, and 16,000 liters of water to produce 1 kg of beef. Just think about how much water is needed to irrigate the plants and pastures needed to feed the animals, how much water the cattle drink every day, how much water is needed to process the meat, to keep the animal, the farm, the slaughterhouse, the meat processor, the meat counter clean, and then it gets to the family dinner table.
Drinking water at a gold price by the end of the century? Why?
According to UN experts, drinking water could be more expensive than gold by the end of the 21st century. This is expected not only due to the much-discussed climate change, but also due to the growing population and overconsumption.
Moreover, the distribution of freshwater is different. The Arab world is home to 5% of the world's population, but has access to only 1% of the world's freshwater resources. While in Canada, 0.2% of the world's population has access to 20% of the world's freshwater resources.
Currently, 2.5 billion people do not have access to clean water. The lack of safe water claims more lives than wars. To make matters worse, nearly half of humanity lives in watersheds that are shared by several countries. These could be sources of serious conflicts between nations in the future, as there is no life without water.
But what about the situation at home?
Misconception that Hungary is a country of water
In the natural water cycle, 1000 mᶾ/person/year of precipitation falls on the territory of our country. Our water resources currently cover the country's water needs. However, it is a misconception that Hungary is a country of water. Only 5% of our water resources are of domestic origin, which ends up in our waters as precipitation. 95% of the country's groundwater and surface water resources extracted for residential, industrial and agricultural purposes come from abroad. This makes us extremely vulnerable and exposed. We are unable to regulate the water quality and quantity of our rivers.
The Earth's freshwater supply is finite. Let's not waste it!
So, if we want clean water to always flow from our taps, we need to use it sparingly. Fresh water and clean drinking water are treasures that not everyone in the world can possess. We won't realize how important it is until we no longer have access to water. Then it will be too late. CYCLE also acted on time for this.
