Robbing Mother Earth: The Hidden Price We’re Too Willing to Pay

When considering the resources that we pull from the Earth, oil is usually the first thing that comes to mind. Though oil is a highly-coveted commodity (been to the gas pump, lately?), there is something even more valuable harnessed below the Earth’s surface. That something is water.

Water is the essence of all life. Not only does it make up a significant part of the anatomy of any living thing, but it is also a large part of nature. With something so vital to our existence, it would be difficult to put its value into a monetary unit…or so you might think. Surprisingly, in agribusiness, we’ve managed to do just that.

Agriculture is a booming industry tasked with the job of feeding over 7 billion humans and countless livestock. With so many to feed, water is an intrinsic part, if not the driving force, of this industry. It is used to water the crops that both we and our food (bacon needs hydration too!) consume. It’s used in machines that frack the oil needed for gas to power all of the machines needed to maintain our food supply. Machines like combines, irrigation systems, and tractors all run on gas. Gas is also needed to move that food (whether it be 3 miles or 3,000), for packaging and processing, for running the power to refrigerate this food, for the car you will probably use to drive to pick up that food, and even for the energy used to prepare your meal. Yes, I did say gas, but without water, no step of this farm-to-plate process would even be possible. And we haven’t even begun to discuss how much more water is used when our food source is higher up on the food chain. But that’s a whole other animal.

What does all of this water usage mean? It means that we can’t get enough of it. With how much we use, and how we use it, it’s running out faster than nature can replenish it. We’ve begun tapping into aquifers, which are underground stores of water below the Earth’s surface, to help offset the water that’s disappearing above ground. Some farmers have taken to buying more water for their crops from other farmers. Even worse yet, some have even determined that importing their crops would be more cost-effective than paying for the water to grow it themselves! With a system so reliant on water, we should be doing what we can to conserve our life source. But where do we begin?

The short answer is: at the source. The underlying reason for the shortage of water is climate change. Everything we do affects the environment. Mother Nature is trying to send us a message that we just aren’t willing to hear. All of the adverse changes in weather (droughts, dust storms, tropical storms, etc.) are the result of the chemicals we’ve put into the air, on the ground, and in our water. We need to remember that the things we do are not without consequences. Now mind your Mother.