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Live from Marseille at the 6th World Water Forum
March 16, 2012
Author of this article: Executive Director of the de Gaspé Beaubien Foundation, Mrs Dominique Monchamp
Being here in Marseille at the 6th World Water Forum and surrounded by key influencer’s on water issues, my immediate thought is : how would the young generation of the de Gaspé Beaubien family emotionally experience this event given they are strong water advocates? What would they have learned from this forum?
They would have discovered that they are not the only ones preoccupied by the existing world water crisis. In fact, there are about 20,000 people from all over the world who have gathered and attended the forum so as to find solutions to problems related to freshwater accessibility, water over-consumption and waste water sanitation.
Here are some facts :
• 884 million people do not have access to adequate, drinkable water
• 2,6 billion people live without acceptable clean water
• By 2035, the global consumption of energy will increase by 49%
• By 2050, the world will have reached a population of 9,1 billion people with a 70% increase in food demand
• 70% of the world’s freshwater supply is used for agriculture
If the equivalentof the world’s water supply were 5 litres, the usable portion of this water would consist of one teaspoon for every inhabitant on our planet. About 7% of our planet’s renewable freshwater resources happens to be in Canada, despite the fact that Canada is home to only 0.5% of the world’s population.
We take potable water for granted here in Canada, particularly in Quebec where we consume a large quantity of the country’s drinkable water.
I think the grandchildren of the de Gaspé Beaubien family would have come out of this forum saying that there is a lot of hard work to do and that Canada should be a lead example for better managing our own freshwater resources.
The grandchildren of the de Gaspé Beaubien family are great visionaries who came up with WATER HERO, an interactive concept aimed at making other young people more aware of water issues.
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