Freshwater Use in the West
With the exception of the far northwestern region, the western half of the United States experiences significantly less rainfall than the eastern half, and depends on reservoirs to collect and redistribute water throughout the year.
Map by Virginia W. Mason, Kelsey Nowakowski, and National Geographic Magazine staff
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Managing Resources
Individuals, communities, and countries depend on a variety of different resources to help them thrive: electricity, timber, oil, water, and food to name a few. Because these basic resources are such a large part of our daily lives, it is important that we manage them responsibly to ensure future generations have what they need. Human civilization heavily impacts the environment and the rich natural resources we depend on. All communities face the challenge of managing resources responsibly, not only for themselves, but for the sake of the world around them. Learn more about how individuals and communities can manage their resources to support themselves and the world around them.
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UN Sustainable Development Goal 6: Clean Water and Sanitation
In 2015 the United Nations General Assembly adopted 17 sustainable development goals designed to transform our world by 2030. The sixth goal is to ensure the availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all. According to the United Nations, one in three people live without sanitation. A lack of sanitation and sanitary waste management systems can reduce a community's access to clean water, and lack of access to clean water can allow diseases to run rampant, sometimes creating epidemics of water-borne infectious agents. Learning about how freshwater systems work in the wilderness, rural communities, and urban centers can help us better understand the challenges of providing clean water and sanitation to people around the world.
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Managing Resources
Individuals, communities, and countries depend on a variety of different resources to help them thrive: electricity, timber, oil, water, and food to name a few. Because these basic resources are such a large part of our daily lives, it is important that we manage them responsibly to ensure future generations have what they need. Human civilization heavily impacts the environment and the rich natural resources we depend on. All communities face the challenge of managing resources responsibly, not only for themselves, but for the sake of the world around them. Learn more about how individuals and communities can manage their resources to support themselves and the world around them.
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UN Sustainable Development Goal 6: Clean Water and Sanitation
In 2015 the United Nations General Assembly adopted 17 sustainable development goals designed to transform our world by 2030. The sixth goal is to ensure the availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all. According to the United Nations, one in three people live without sanitation. A lack of sanitation and sanitary waste management systems can reduce a community's access to clean water, and lack of access to clean water can allow diseases to run rampant, sometimes creating epidemics of water-borne infectious agents. Learning about how freshwater systems work in the wilderness, rural communities, and urban centers can help us better understand the challenges of providing clean water and sanitation to people around the world.