About freshwater
Water covers about two-thirds of the Earth's surface. But most is too salty for use.
Only 2.5% of the world's water is not salty and is classified as fresh water. Two-thirds
of that is locked up in the icecaps and glaciers, the rest in rivers, lakes and
underground aquifers, as well as man-made reservoirs and dams, all of which are
replenished by precipitation from the atmosphere in the form of rain and snow.
Without freshwater, there is no life. It's essential for:
Prosperity - undertaking economically
productive activity.
People - sustaining life and human
development. Water-borne infectious diseases
are holding back poverty reduction and
economic growth in many poor countries
around the world.
Planet - the presence of water on earth makes
it viable for life to exist.
Fast facts
Each person needs about 20 litres of water a day for
basic needs - to drink, cook and wash sufficiently to avoid
disease transmission.
According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
Change (IPCC), global warming does not necessarily
equate to less water, as a warmer climate overall means
a wetter climate - warmer air can hold more moisture. But
heavier downpours over a few days could lead to more
run-off, which in turn means less available water.
With global warming, weather patterns are likely to shift,
meaning that water will be deposited in different places at
different times. "In general," points out Martin Parry, cochair of the IPCC's working group on climate impacts,
"we see drying in the sub-tropics and mid-latitudes, from
southern Europe to Kazakhstan and from North Africa to
Iran."
The amount of water on earth is finite and although there is a lot of water around, only a small amount is fresh and useable by
humans and terrestrial ecosystems. With modern development and industrialisation, the amount of water required and used per
person is increasing and with the current rapid increase in world population the availability of water for development is rapidly
running out. It is estimated that in the next 15 years the world population will increase to 8 billion people which means the world will
become a thirstier place.
Despite increasing pressure on freshwater sources, availability of freshwater is not the key concern. According to the UNDP
Development Report 2006, "The scarcity at the heart of the global water crisis is rooted in power, poverty and inequality, not physical
availability."
About World Water Day
In 1993, the United Nations General Assembly
declared 22 March to be World Water Day as a
means of focusing attention on the importance
of freshwater and the need for the sustainable
management of freshwater resources. Each
year, World Water Day highlights a specific
aspect of freshwater. The 2009 theme, 'Shared
Water – Shared Opportunities' highlights the
fact that countries should work together to
optimise water management and disprove the
prediction made by Ismail Serageldin, former
vice-president of the World Bank, that "the next
world war will be about water".
About Sappi's proactive water management policy
We share global concerns about the finite nature of water resources and this is why we
operate as follows:
On land
In Southern Africa keeping with legislation, Sappi Forests has registered all planted
land and is currently paying for water used. We also reduce the impacts of our
plantations on rivers and wetlands by clearing areas next to wetlands and rivers and
ensuring they’re kept free of trees. Water quality is managed by regulating drainage
and minimising erosion, thereby preventing run-off into natural water sources.
In mills
Water is an essential ingredient in pulp and paper making and is used to create the
pulp and to flush away unwanted impurities. The discharge of pollutants to water is one
of the most significant environmental impacts of pulp and paper making.
We focus on reducing consumption, increasing recycling and improving the quality of
the effluent we discharge. Globally, total specific (ie per ton of pulp and paper
produced) water use has declined and the quality of effluent has improved. Further
details can be found on page 50 of our 2008 Sappi and Sustainability Report, available
on www.sappi.com.
Helping to rehabilitate rivers
Since 2007, as part of our commitment to sustainability,
Sappi Fine Paper North America's corporate sponsorship
program has included supporting Living Lands & Waters
(LL&W), a non-profit, environmental organization focused on
the protection, preservation and restoration of America’s
major rivers and their watersheds. With Sappi's support, in
2008, LL&W was able to remove 250 tons of garbage from
America's rivers and spread their message and mission to
over 2,500 educators and students through educational
workshops and in-school presentations.