D
Dervish
Guest
There's the same amount of water on Earth now as there was millions of years ago, that point isn't in contention.Multiple people here have mentioned showering until it's cold.
Why the hell am I only one being responded to with this as if I'm some sort of villain? o.O
Like seriously people, I get it.
The environment is important, if you want to stress the importance of conserving stuff I'm right behind you.
But if you are going do that:
- Don't treat it as a moral crusade of the righteous VS the selfish sinners. That shit's obnoxious, infuriating and it only drives people away.
- Actually acknowledge all the people doing it. Don't randomly set your sights on one person specifically.
Our family showers at different times of the day, so it's almost always refilled for the next person.
Plus in the off chance someone else does need to shower, we have 2 of them.
In that case they have access to the same hot water I do.
Now I get the environmental stuff (hence why I'm not bothering to quote any of it, there's nothing to argue).
But no one's being left waiting over this.
Except I'm not living in California.
Once again, I get the environmental concerns.
But Ontario (or at least my part) is fairing better.
So talking in a hypothetical of be being in X location is pointless, because it's hypothetical.
It'd be like me looking at your diet and then going "If you were in Africa you would be contributing to the starvation of children".
It makes zero sense, and there's no need for me to attack you in such a way since from where you do live no one is being harmed like that.
Except the main thing about water is that it *is* renewable.
It's not like I use this water and it's never used again. It will make it way back and be used elsewhere later after being re-filtered.
Now, I get that renewable =/= infinite.
So as we grow in population there's only going to be so much water to go around (and destroying ocean life is not a proper solution).
And I get that re-filtering the water costs power.
But by no means will excessive use of water mean it's no longer going to be there.
It might be more strained, and when my area hits such a state then I'll make a stronger attempt to watch my usage because then it actually is a need for a better society.
But it's not like I'm the only one ever using this water.
The water you wash with goes back down the pipes.
The water you drink you piss back out.
It all goes back to the earth's collection of water to be used another time.
You want to discuss conserving it because as population grows each of us will only have? Fine, that's sharing a set amount of water among a certain number of people.
Want to discuss the heating bills and how it costs a lot of money? Fine, that does impact bills quite a lot.
Want to discuss that heating it costs power, which given our current power sources is not good for the environment. Fine, the planet is important.
But suggesting a reusable resource is going to vanish by being used?
That's not only a low blow, but it's a false blow too.
My point about clean water not always being around forever is because the more pollution increases and water tables and sources aren't protected, it's possible to deplete groundwater sources and make surface water pretty much untreatable to the point of being rendered non-potable. It's not unlike air quality; there's always going to be air, but if we aren't careful with our industry, we can all end up like Bejing where cardiovascular issues are the norm because the smog is super thick.
I work in the industry, and I have to deal with a lot of ignorance about water from entire communities, so if I'm being sharp tongued it's because honestly, it's the only way it sinks in people's head's that you have to be mindful of your habits, because while one household isn't going to make a spitball of difference, the accumulated effects of several households can make all the difference in the world. It's also expensive to treat water, so the more pollution or strain on a water source means the larger and more complicated the facilities have to be, often necessitating upgrades, and in extreme cases, finding entirely new water sources. Ontario's lucky because it's surrounded by the Great Lakes and has numerous smaller ones to draw from that can support the population, but in a lot of places, including the Great Lakes, the water level in the lakes is dropping, both from the climate, destruction of wetlands, and overuse. As well, if treatment processes aren't done properly, a lot of the effluent leaving wastewater facilities increases the nutrient loads on lakes, which cause algae blooms, which kill fish and choke out other life in the lakes. Ecosystems are incredibly fragile things, and overuse and improper conservation practices are huge contributors to strain on the water resources. If you don't think that 12 million people, nearly one third of the population of the country and a huge percentage of it's industrial base, in South Ontario isn't causing a large strain on the fresh water sources, think again. The Great Lakes are literally disappearing. And it's not just Ontario, it's all the Northeast American states, as well.
So sure, you aren't in California, but you're helping contribute to a looming catastrophe in your own backyard without even being aware it's happening, and Ontario doesn't have a 3-year drought as an excuse.
As for targeting you, it was because you were the first person to use specific examples of knowing waste, and I was explaining how much was actually being wasted, which applies to anybody reading it. Look, I know it sucks being called out on bad habits (lord knows I have my fair share), but seriously, I can't stress enough that every single person's habits can make a difference, and people really need to understand that just because it reliably comes out of the tap doesn't mean there's a lot of it to go around. Unless society and industry as a whole gets their heads out of their asses, there's going to be huge water shortages, which will lead to increased costs, some communities shutting down, crop failures, and massive hits to the economy since you can't use the water systems anymore for shipping.
So no, it's not just you. It's a lot of people, and that's the problem. Most people aren't even aware there's a problem or where their water comes from or where it goes and consume it at exponential rates while the population starts to boom.
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