When Human Rights Become Luxuries: The Case of Water

The Significance of Freshwater 

Without food, the human body can survive for up to 70 days. However, without water, that number cannot be stretched beyond five, and for millions, water crises mean the difference between life and death. According to the United Nations, water lies at the center of the climate crisis, with the two being “inextricably linked.” Climate change affects the water cycle as a whole and at each of its stages, from precipitation to sea ice melting to evaporation rates. Currently, over two billion people worldwide live without ample access to drinking water, a figure expected to grow as climate change worsens and the global population increases. Even in developed nations such as the United States, especially those with large agricultural output, water scarcity is a threat. Additionally, while freshwater is a renewable resource, it is very difficult to keep consumption below the threshold that can be regenerated at any given time. Right now, only about 0.5% of Earth’s water is considered usable fresh water, a percentage that could decline in the future with contamination. As these resources continue to dwindle, it is more important than ever to protect Earth’s freshwater ecosystems not only for the environment, but also for human well-being. 

The Impact of Climate Change  

In order to understand the issues that water scarcity can cause, it’s important to first understand how and why this problem exists. Water pollution originates from many sources, both natural and human-emitted. Types of water pollution include fertilizer runoff from farms, untreated wastewater, and factory waste. Once water pollution enters a waterway, it can also leach into groundwater or aquifers (large pieces of rock or sediment that are fully saturated in water), which are often sources for natural wells. When aquifers and groundwater are polluted, they often take thousands of years and dollars to restore. Additionally, drinking water reserves have been depleting due to rising temperatures. As air becomes warmer due to the greenhouse effect, its capacity to hold water vapor increases, leading to an artificial spike in evaporation. According to the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the average amount of freshwater in bodies of water including lakes, rivers, and underground aquifers has decreased by 290 cubic miles, causing shortages around the world, especially in developing nations. 

The Effects of Freshwater Scarcity

One of the most obvious uses of freshwater is for drinking water. People and livestock alike require clean and fresh water, as acknowledged by the United Nation’s series of Sustainable Development Goals. The UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a set of global goals adopted in 2015. These 17 goals serve as a call to action for countries to carefully monitor economic, social, and environmental sustainability as they develop. Goal 6 in particular focuses on sustainable water management, and the right to water is also recognized as a human right by the United Nations. The greenhouse effect and rising temperatures increase the amount of water people consume in order to regulate sweat and other functions to compensate for the heat, creating a dual effect of water becoming scarcer as its demand rises. Because of climate change, about four billion people worldwide experience water scarcity for at least one month a year, including drinking water purposes and more.

Water in Sanitation

Freshwater is also a key component of water sanitation systems and hygiene, including toilet flushing, sewer infrastructure, hand washing, and more. The UN notes that sanitation is vital not only for health and disease prevention, but also for human dignity, mental health, sexual assault safety, and ability to find a job. Research demonstrates that for girls in particular, access to sanitation is directly correlated with school attendance and educational outcomes, especially due to menstruation. Studies also show that for every one dollar spent on sanitation services, about $5.50 is returned through lowered healthcare burdens, meaning that investing in sanitation can help keep people healthy and minimize burden on healthcare services. Open defecation, a primary healthcare burden that stems from lack of sanitation, causes a majority of the 564,000 yearly sanitation-related deaths, primarily in low and middle income countries, and contributes to the spread of tropical diseases such as intestinal worms, schistosomiasis, antimicrobial resistance, and more. Diarrhoeal disease, a condition caused by lack of sanitation access, also continues to rest in the top five causes of deaths in children under five years of age.  

Get Involved

There are plenty of ways that we can all avoid wasting our limited fresh water. Simple actions such as fixing leaks quickly, turning off running water when it’s not in use, or shortening your showers slightly can create a combined impact amounting to millions of gallons a year. Installing higher efficiency appliances such as dishwashers or washing machines can also help minimize your water footprint without sacrificing daily routine. And, of course, donating to organizations such as The Water Project or Charity Water can directly provide drinking water and sanitation to those in need. It’s important to remember that water sanitation is not an issue confined to one geographic region, and that it instead calls for worldwide attention and collaboration to tackle. 

References

Borgen Project. (2016, October 31). The Link Between Sanitation and Education for Girls. The Borgen Project. https://borgenproject.org/sanitation-and-education-for-girls/ 

FECHT, S. (2019, September 23). How Climate Change Impacts Our Water. State of the Planet; Columbia Climate School. https://news.climate.columbia.edu/2019/09/23/climate-change-impacts-water/

McGill University. (2025, January 10). Office for Science and Society. https://www.mcgill.ca/oss/article/medical-critical-thinking/we-can-survive-without-food-about-70-days-only-5-days-without-water

NASA Satellites Reveal Abrupt Drop in Global Freshwater Levels. (2024, November 19). NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/nasa-satellites-reveal-abrupt-drop-in-global-freshwater-levels/

UNDP. (2025). Sustainable Development Goals. United Nations Development Programme; United Nations. https://www.undp.org/sustainable-development-goals

UNICEF. (2020). Water Scarcity. UNICEF. https://www.unicef.org/wash/water-scarcity

United Nations. (2022). Water – at the Center of the Climate Crisis. United Nations. https://www.un.org/en/climatechange/science/climate-issues/water

United Nations. (2024). Human Rights to Water and Sanitation. UN-Water; United Nations. https://www.unwater.org/water-facts/human-rights-water-and-sanitation

Water Conservation: How Everyone Can Fight the Water Crisis - The Water Project. (2025, February 27). The Water Project. https://thewaterproject.org/community/2025/02/27/water-conservation-how-everyone-can-fight-the-water-crisis/

What is an Aquifer? | Normal, IL - Official Website. (n.d.). Www.normalil.gov. https://www.normalil.gov/1334/What-is-an-Aquifer

WHO. (2024, March 7). Diarrhoeal Disease. Who.int; World Health Organization: WHO. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/diarrhoeal-disease

Why fresh water. (n.d.). Www.freshwaterwatch.org. https://www.freshwaterwatch.org/pages/why-fresh-water

World Health Organization. (2024, March 22). Sanitation. WHO; World Health Organization: WHO. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/sanitation

World Wildlife Fund. (2025). Water Scarcity. World Wildlife Fund. https://www.worldwildlife.org/threats/water-scarcity