The effects of climate change are profound and wide-reaching. One of the key resources now at risk due to rising global temperatures is water supplies around the world and the health and quality of the water meant for drinking. ABC News is taking Earth Month to explore what’s happening to water from different lenses, from business to residential to sea level rise and what the government is doing to protect the most precious commodity on Earth.
The West is running out of water. A decades-long megadrought spurred by climate change is coinciding with a continued population boom, further siphoning vast amounts of water out of the country’s largest reservoirs. In places like St. George, Utah, the effects of the drought are particularly challenging.
The manufacturing industry is decimating the finite water supply on the island of Puerto Rico. Decades-old federal tax incentives brought manufacturing industries to the island in droves, but left the environment in shambles. Environmental experts explain how the dwindling water supply in Puerto Rico continues to be threatened.
Do you know what is in your drinking water? Millions of Americans could be drinking water contaminated with lead and not even know it. For more than a century, scientists have been warning of the detriments of continuing to ingest water flowing through lead pipes, a popular plumbing material used in the 1800s. Despite the warnings, many cities continued to install lead piping for decades, which could have lead to a modern-day health crisis.
Egypt’s Nile River, one of the most storied bodies of water in the world, is under extreme threat due to rising sea levels, extreme heat and a major dam project that is putting strain on the river and people who depend on it to survive. The river provides about 90% of drinking water to Egypt, so any disruption to the water source could become problematic for the vast majority of residents and businesses.
Sea level rise is threatening one of the most populated metropolises in the world. New York City is preparing for an 8-inch to 30-inch rise in sea levels by the 2050s – a significant increase that will severely amplify flood crises from events such as hurricanes, thunderstorms and even high tides on sunny days. More than a million people live in or near the flood zone.