The richest of the rich…in the universe as we know it anyway…
The absolute truth about the one percent I’m about to divulge is not, as you may be thinking, about the financial elite. There’s already too much “stuff” out there arguing the truth of that hot button issue. Rather, this missive is the absolute truth about an issue far more critical to our survival – fresh water.
But don’t hit the back button just yet. Give me a minute and see if this epistle raises your eyebrow and elicits a murmur along the lines of “Holy water drops Batman“. After all, statistics don’t lie, but liars sure like to use statistics.
Figure 1 - Earth from space (blogspot.com)
Our earth, as astronauts have confirmed, is indeed a blue marble. A globe, hanging without a string, in the blackness of space. A sphere, soaked in and partially blanketed by, a unique combination of two parts hydrogen and one part oxygen. Good ole’ H2O.
Whiskey is for drinking…water is for fighting…
For a minute or two, stare at the graphic below and ponder what the numbers say about this good ole H2O on our good ole’ blue marble.
Figure 2. Global distribution of water (USGS.GOV)
Umm…what does that have to do with the truth about the one percent…
Well, 97.5% of that good ole’ H2O on our one and only blue marble is saline (oceans and such). ONLY 2.5% is fresh (think drinkable).
Ummmmm…what does that have to do with the ABSOLUTE truth about the one percent?
Well, of the 2.5% that is freshwater, 68.7% is frozen in glaciers and ice caps and 30.1% is below the earth’s surface as groundwater. ONLY 1.2% is surface water. And surface water is our main source of drinking water.
So there you have it – the absolute truth about the one percent! To learn more check out How Much Water is There on Earth.
Cheers until the next time…
P.S. – Now that you know the absolute truth about the one percent, do you have a desire to evaluate how you use this 1%: when you brush your teeth, or water your lawn, or take a shower/bath, or……