Inge attended a lecture by Professor Cees Buisman on the future of water and the water usage in the world, specificallly the water we drink. He showed two images that particularly drew her attention. The first is that compared to the earth’s mass, there is relatively little water on our Mother Earth. And that water is mainly salt water.
The quantity of sea water is shown with the big drop. It is enormous compared to the fresh water, like from rivers and lakes, which is the little drop. Now look well, but under that little drop is a pinpoint little drop. That is our drinking water.
Buisman made a basic calculation about the drinking water. With 9 billion people on this world, we could use up to some 2200 liter potable water per inhabitant per year. That seems like a lot. But, is it?
Dutch consumption of water
Most people know how much drinking water we Dutchmen use. It is about 120 liter per person per day. But, that is only our direct consumption (most of it for washing water and toilet flushes). But indirectly, a Dutchman uses, like most Europeans, a lot more: 4000 liter per day!
Check out the graphics here, and see what we use all water for.
As you see, the water consumption of Western people is like the fossil fuel consumption: way too far out of proportion to share Mother Earth with other people born in poorer regions.
“Eat like a lion”
So, must we all become vegans now?
Professor Buijsman says: “Eat like a lion!” On average, a lion eats meat for 4 days and then 6 six no meat.
