Running dry.Human beings cannot live without water to drink. Is there enough water for everyone who needs it? This supply-and-demand graph graph, figure that shows relationships between quantities. The graph of a function y=f (x) is the set of points with coordinates [x, f (x)] in the xy-plane, when x and y are numbers. shows how the projected rise in population worldwide will affect the availability of freshwater fresh·wa·ter adj. 1. Of, relating to, living in, or consisting of water that is not salty: freshwater fish; freshwater lakes. 2. Situated away from the sea; inland. 3. . Study the graph, then answer the questions on a separate sheet of paper. 1. What change, if any, is shown occurring to the supply of freshwater from 1950 to 2050? 2. How, if at all, does the number of people needing water during that time period change? 3. How much water was available in 1995? 4. How many people needed that water? 5. How many more people will need water in 2050 than 1995? Bonus: What problems can occur when the need for water outstrips supply? Explain your answer. [GRAPHIC OMITTED] ANSWERS 1. It decreases. 2. It increases. 3. 2 million gallons per person 4. about 6.5 billion 5. about 3 billion people Bonus: Answers will vary, but should include mention of the threat that water scarcity Scarcity The basic economic problem which arises from people having unlimited wants while there are and always will be limited resources. Because of scarcity, various economic decisions must be made to allocate resources efficiently. would pose to food supplies, human health, and global ecosystems. People might even wage wars to gain control of limited water supplies. |
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