Human activities have caused severe narrowness in over half of the world’s largest lakes in the past 30 years, causing risks to health, economies, and the environment, according to a study in the journal Science. The global decline in water storage equals to 17 times the capacity of Lake Mead, the largest lake in the U.S. Overuse of water for agriculture, development, and human-caused climate change are the main factors driving the decline, particularly in natural lakes. The accumulation of dirt and sand behind dams also contributes to the fall of water levels in lakes.
The findings showed “significant declines,” stated Fangfang Yao, the lead author of the study. “Roughly one-quarter of the world’s population lives in a basin with a drying lake,” Yao said. “So the potential impact could be significant.”
At least half of the decline in natural lakes was driven by human-caused climate change and overconsumption, which should remind water managers to improve protection and water efficiency, according to Yao. “If you know a lake is falling and that loss resulted from human activities, can we attach more importance to protection and improving water efficiency?” she said.
A climate change-driven drought and an ever-growing human thirst have continued to consume the two largest lakes in the U.S. Lake Powell and Lake Mead, which the Colorado River feeds. Lake Chad, one of Africa’s largest freshwater lakes which supplies nearly 40 million people with water, has shrunk (收缩) by an estimated 90% since the 1960s.
The United Nations regards access to safe drinking water as a universal human right, yet around 2 billion people lack access to it, and half of the global population experiences severe water shortage annually.
“Uncertainties are increasing,” said Richard Connor, the editor-in-chief of a U.N. water report published earlier this year at a press conference in late March, where world leaders met to try and find better strategies for managing the planet’s rare freshwater. “If we don’t address it, there will definitely be a global disaster.”
【小题1】What can we learn about lakes from paragraph 1?| A．They are being developed. | B．They are becoming smaller. |
| C．They are causing climate change. | D．They are damaged by human activities. |
| A．Severe environmental problems. | B．Ever-increasing world’s population. |
| C．Climate change and overuse of water. | D．Drought and an ever-growing human thirst. |
| A．Unique. | B．Normal. | C．Particular. | D．Common. |
| A．To warn people to save water. | B．To call on people to protect the environment. |
| C．To tell people water shortage in the world. | D．To find better ways of managing freshwater. |
