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CYCLE uses 0 drops of drinking water in the production of its cleaning products. Why? Because we have a finite supply of drinking water, which flows in vain from the tap. How finite? Is Hungary really the country of water? Or is this a misconception?
How much fresh water do we have?
About 60% of the human body is water. And water covers about 71% of the Earth's surface. That's why it's called the "blue planet". If water were evenly distributed, the Earth's surface would have a layer of water 2,700 metres deep.
Oceans and seas account for 97% of this vast amount of water. But these are not directly suitable for drinking water because of their high salt content. And getting rid of salt is an energy-intensive process.
So only a few percent of the Earth's water is freshwater. To be precise, 2.5% of freshwater is locked up in ice (locked up in glaciers and polar ice sheets), leaving only 0.5% of freshwater available. This is mainly groundwater at ground level and to a lesser extent surface water (lakes and rivers), and is present in the atmosphere as fog, water vapour and clouds. As it is extremely scarce, every drop of it must be treasured as it is a rarity in nature. However, most of it is used for agricultural purposes.
How much freshwater do developed countries use?
Groundwater is the best source of drinking water because it absorbs various organic and inorganic substances and micro-organisms from the soil. However, it is estimated that developed industrialised countries use nearly 3 times more water than the natural water cycle provides. This means that water shortages increasingly have to be met by the costly treatment of contaminated surface water.
According to a WHO study, it takes 140 litres of water to produce a single cup of coffee and 16,000 litres of water to produce 1 kg of beef. Just think of the water needed to irrigate the crops and pastures needed to feed them, the water a cattle drinks every day, the water needed to process their meat, to keep the animal, the farm, the abattoir, the meat processor, the meat counter clean, and the family dinner table clean.
Drinking water at golden prices by the end of the century? Why?
UN experts predict that by the end of the 21st century, drinking water could be more expensive than gold. This is not only due to the much-talked about climate change, but also to a growing population and overconsumption.
Moreover, the distribution of freshwater is different. The Arab world has 5% of the world's population and only 1% of the world's freshwater resources. Canada, on the other hand, has 0.2% of the world's population and 20% of the global freshwater supply.
Currently 2.5 billion people lack access to clean water. The lack of safe water claims more lives than wars. To make matters worse, nearly half of humanity lives in watersheds shared by several countries. These could be a source of serious inter-national conflict in the future, because without water there is no life.
But what about at home?
Misconception that Hungary is a country of water
Our country receives 1000 mᶾ/person/year of precipitation in the natural water cycle. Our water resources currently cover the country's water needs. But it is a misconception that Hungary is a country of water. Only 5% of our water resources are of domestic origin, which is released into our waters as precipitation. 95% of the groundwater and surface water extracted for domestic, industrial and agricultural use comes from abroad. This makes us extremely vulnerable and exposed. We have no way of controlling the quality and quantity of water in our rivers.
The Earth's supply of freshwater is finite. Let's not waste it!
So if we want clean water to flow from our taps at all times, we need to use it sparingly. Fresh water and clean drinking water is a treasure that not everyone in the world can have. We should not realise how important it is when we no longer have access to water. Then it will be too late. CYCLE has done so in time.
