The Environmental Cost and Unsustainability of Bottled Water
| | Bulk water is processed at source or transported for processing
Water is packaged in petrochemically derived plastic bottles
Packaged water is bulk transported to distribution centres
Central depots distribute to local commercial & retail sellers
Plastic packaging is recycled or disposed in landfill
In the US, more than 33 billion litres of bottled water were consumed in 2008. It took more than 17 million barrels of oil to make the packaging and plastic for this water, not including the energy it took to deliver the bottles to the point of sale. This volume of oil would make enough petrol to fuel 100,000 cars for more than a year. The plastic bottle manufacturing process produces more than 2.3 million tonnes of carbon dioxide and wastes more than 1.25 billion litres of water, just to make the water that is bottled! | | ___________________________________ | Allocation of Global Liquid Water Resources (1.4 billion Km3) |
97.5% of water on Earth is saltwater
Only 2.5% of the total volume is freshwater (35 million Km3):
ice, snow, lakes, rivers and groundwater
Less than 1% of this freshwater is available for human use (200,000 Km3)
Agriculture and industry use approximately 90% of the water supply
The remaining 10% is available for human consumption (20,000 Km3):
equivalent to 0.0014% of Earth's total liquid water |  |
Source: United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) |
The majority of the Earth's freshwater (at 2.5% of the total water) is locked up in groundwater, glaciers, or ice caps. That leaves about 1 percent for the world's 6.6 billion people. As population grows, so does demand for water. Increasingly, water is becoming a severely limited resource for regions around the globe. About one-third of the world's population lives in countries that are experiencing water stress. In Asia, where water has always been regarded as an abundant resource, per capita water availability declined by 40-60% between 1955 and 1990. Projections suggest that most Asian countries will have severe water problems by the year 2025. Historically, most of Africa has been water-poor. Water scarcity is typically caused by dry climates, drought, desiccation, or water stress. Water scarcity caused by drought has killed over 24,000 people a year since the 1970's, and over 40% of the world's population now experiences water shortages that threaten their agriculture and industry as well as their personal health. Today over a billion people do not have access to clean drinking water and by 2025 at least 3 billion people in 90 different countries are expected to face severe water stress. The problem is not just a shortage of water, but also the wasteful and unsustainable use of available water supplies.
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| ___________________________________ | The atmosphere contains a potential 13,000 Km3 waterSource: World Water Assessment Programme (WWAP) |
An Unlimited Supply of Water There is good news! We have a nearly unlimited supply of moisture in the air all around us. At any one time, there are 13,000 Km3 of free water in the atmosphere. Here's where Dewpointe and Cloudburste technology can provide assistance. Through innovative technology, the Dewpointe and Cloudburste water generators extract precious moisture from the air, to provide pure, pristine atmospheric drinking water. By tapping into the abundant moisture in the atmosphere, the Dewpointe and Cloudburste provide a sustainable water supply, thus preserving our aquifers and natural fresh water resources. Nothing needs to be recycled, no energy is required to produce or transport bottles. Only the revolutionary Dewpointe and Cloudburste systems can offer a positive solution to the problem of the provision of continuous safe drinking water by providing a safe, dependable and sustainable supply of pure water for your family, business or a population in acute need. The Dewpointe®
Atmospheric Water Generator
for a Sustainable World
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