22/03/2013
By Tianjie Ma*, Greenpeace, 22 March 2013 – We live on a wet planet, and without that water we would not be able to survive. But in places like China where I live, industries such as textile facilities are pumping a nasty cocktail of toxic chemicals into our water – you only need to see the photos below to get an idea of just how critical the situation is.
Dye Factory in Shaoxing © Lu Guang / Greenpeace
At Greenpeace, we’re campaigning to Detox our water: exposing brands that are sourcing from polluting facilities and highlighting the disastrous effects of hazardous chemicals in our waterways. So for this World Water Day we thought we would share with you ten facts about water that you probably didn’t know… but really should.
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22/03/2013
By EurActiv*, 22 March 2013 – Half of humans lack safe drinking water, while competition for water from agriculture and industry could put more people at risk in years to come, says a Portuguese lawyer who is the United Nations’ independent advocate for the right to water.
Catarina de Albuquerque, speaking ahead of World Water Day on Friday (22 March), said the official UN figure – 800 million – doesn’t provide a full picture of water poverty, estimating that some 3.5 billion people lack a safe supply.
“We know that not everybody who is getting water gets safe water,” de Albuquerque, the UN’s special rapporteur for the rights to water and sanitation, said by telephone from Lisbon.
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22/03/2013
Forests cover one-third of the globe, provide three-fourths of freshwater and are the most biologically diverse ecosystems on land. They are home to more than half of the terrestrial species of animals, plants and insects, and around 1.6 billion people – including more than 2,000 indigenous cultures – depend on forests for their livelihood. Nevertheless, some 13 million hectares of forest are destroyed every year.
Photo: IRIN/Angela Dewan
This is what a UN report says on the occasion of the first-ever International Day of Forests. “Forests are vital for our well-being. They cover nearly a third of the globe and provide an invaluable variety of social, economic and environmental benefits,” UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon said in a message marking the Day on 21 March 2013.
Forests are the source of three-fourths of freshwater, stabilize slopes and prevent landslides, and protect coastal communities against tsunamis and storms. In addition, more than three million people use forest wood for fuel, said UN chief. And forests help combat climate change as they store more carbon than is in the atmosphere.
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