My family just walked out the door, along with our dog, to go on a hike around a beautiful lake near our house. Each of my family members grabbed a cup and filled it with clean filtered water as they always do. They also took along a portable water dish for our dog. This simple everyday act, filling a cup with clean water, is something that we take for granted. Clean water is easily accessible for us. I have never worried about going somewhere and not having clean water to drink. Families in other countries do not have these same luxuries. GOAL #6: Clean Water and Sanitation is part of the United Nations’ 17 Global Goals of Sustainable Development. In only 9 days, on September 25th, 2015, at the UN Sustainable Development Summit, 193 World leaders will join together to adopt 17 important Global Goals.
Goal 6 is very straightforward: To ensure access to water and sanitation for all. There is sufficient fresh water on this planet, we just need to make sure it is clean for all to drink. It is heartbreaking to read that every year, millions of people, most of them children, die from diseases associated with a scarce water supply and poor sanitation and hygiene. A lack of water, poor water quality, and poor sanitation have a negative impact on food security, employment choices, and educational opportunities for poor families around the world. In many areas, usually in the poorest countries, a drought can occur which then worsens hunger and malnutrition.
Here are some facts and figures from the United Nations.
- 1.7 billion people have gained access to safe drinking water since 1990, but 663 million people are still without.
- Between 1990 and 2015, the proportion of the global population using an improved drinking water source has increased from 76 percent to 91 percent.
- Water scarcity affects more than 40 percent of the global population and is projected to rise.
- 2.4 billion people lack access to basic sanitation services, such as toilets or latrines.
- Hydropower is the most important and widely-used renewable source of energy and as of 2011, represented 16 percent of total electricity production worldwide.
As Deepak Chopra so clearly stated, “Although we take it for granted, sanitation is a physical measure that has probably done more to increase human life span than any kind of drug or surgery”
The United Nations estimates that there are 2.5 billion people who do not have access to sanitation facilities. What are the goals? How can we reach them in the next 15 years?
The goals are clear, we need to make clean water and sanitation available to everyone. The United Nations has clearly explained how they plan to achieve Goal 6.
- By 2030, achieve universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water for all
- By 2030, achieve access to adequate and equitable sanitation and hygiene for all and end open defecation, paying special attention to the needs of women and girls and those in vulnerable situations
- By 2030, improve water quality by reducing pollution, eliminating dumping and minimizing release of hazardous chemicals and materials, halving the proportion of untreated wastewater and substantially increasing recycling and safe reuse globally
- By 2030, substantially increase water-use efficiency across all sectors and ensure sustainable withdrawals and supply of freshwater to address water scarcity and substantially reduce the number of people suffering from water scarcity
- By 2030, implement integrated water resources management at all levels, including through transboundary cooperation as appropriate
- By 2020, protect and restore water-related ecosystems, including mountains, forests, wetlands, rivers, aquifers and lakes
- By 2030, expand international cooperation and capacity-building support to developing countries in water- and sanitation-related activities and programs, including water harvesting, desalination, water efficiency, wastewater treatment, recycling and reuse technologies
- Support and strengthen the participation of local communities in improving water and sanitation management
I hope you will join me in learning more about what you can do to help everyone have clean water and sanitation in their lives. Goal #6 as well as all the other 16 Global Goals will carry us through the next 15 years. We all know how time flies, 15 years will feel like a blink of the eye. The year 2030 is right around the corner, we NEED to be the first generation to end extreme poverty, the most determined generation in history to end injustice and inequality, and the last generation to be threatened by climate change.
There are many easy ways to join in.
*Take a Global Goals Selfie and help to spread awareness.
*Like and follow along at the Global Goals Facebook page.
*Watch this video and learn how you can get involved.
*Follow along on the Global Goals Instagram feed.
*Follow the @UN and the @TheGlobalGoals on Twitter and search for the #Globalgoods and #SustainableDevelopment hashtags
Help our kids become the generation that changed the world: ending poverty, reversing climate change, and promising girls get educated. Talk to your kids about the #GlobalGoals with this fun guide: http://cdn.globalgoals.
This is not a sponsored post. All opinions are my own. Images courtesy of Getty Images.
Thanks for sharing all of these resources! Such a fantastic and necessary cause. I will definitely help out!
Thank you! We all need to pitch in and help.
It’s so crazy & somewhat scary to realize that there are so many people without clean fresh water. I agree, it is definitely something we take for granted. I’m glad the UN has a plan in place to get water to those millions without it.
I agree, the numbers are so crazy. We do not realize how lucky we are! Thank you for helping.
So informative! Thanks for supplying this information. Very educating.
Thanks for reading. I hope you will take action and help with the 17 #GlobalGoals
I had no idea that 663 million people are still without clean drinking water! Whoa! What an amazing cause to support!
Thanks for stopping by! It is horrifying that so many people are without clean water! We need to take action and help.
How sad and scary to not have access to clean water. Thanks for sharing. So much great info here, and I had never heard of these global goals before.
Thank you for reading about this important topic. Would love for you to share this and help us tackle these 17 Global Goals!
So sad that this goes on, but it’s great that organizations are out there that really want to help! Thanks for shedding light on this!
This hit home.. we do the same thing, fill up our BPA free bottles with filtered water, fill up a bottle for Mia, hook up her collapsible dog bowl and off on our walk. Now that I think about it, yes, we take clean water for granted that we always have clean water to drink. What I don’t take for granted is watering our plants. They suffer during heatwaves and I think to myself “there are water bans for a reason” and I with more people would think twice about washing their sidewalk. I can’t imagine that many people without clean drinking water.
It is really mind boggling that some people have to walk miles just to get clean water. We are so lucky in our lives. Thank you for reading and sharing this important Global Goal!
Wow, very informational and well-written post. Thank you for bringing attention to this issue!
Thank you for reading my post. Please help me share this important information. We can do better!!
This is so important to be aware of these things. Our children are all going to be apart of this time and us as parents need to set an example of going beyond our front yards and doing something to make an impact on this earth. I will be looking into this global effort. 2020 will be here before you know it as well as 2030! Thanks for sharing!
Thank you for getting involved! It is not too late, join in, we can help!
Great explanation on the goal of clean water …. can’t wait till we all get there as global citizens!
Thank you Paula! We all need to work together to achieve these goals.
Thanks for brining awareness! It really put things the things that we take for granted in perspective. Great post 🙂
Thank you so much! We need to all work together to improve our world.
Thank you so much for these resources. It’s so easy to take something like clean water for granted, and forget that others don’t have the same luxuries that we do.
Thank you for sharing this initiative, and what we can do to help .This is just so important.
Thank you for getting involved!!
Thanks for sharing on #justanotherlinky. I sometime forget just how lucky we are – I will be helping out. Xx
Thank you so much! Please share and help us accomplish these important global goals!
I agree with you. Dirty water is too big of a problem. It’s so sad that people do not have access to clean water. I have supported other projects in the past, however, I’ve also heard that some of them, like the wells and plumbing were not maintained.
This is very interesting. It saddens me how many people don’t have access to clean water. Thank you for sharing this important information!
Thank you for reading this important piece! I hope you will get involved in the Global Goals.
When I was a little girl, we didn’t have safe water to drink and had to walk miles to fetch it from a river. I teach my daughters to appreciate water and conserve it. Every little drop counts. Thank you for sharing this amazing information!
Thank you for sharing. Every drop does count. Please help me spread the word on these important Global Goals.
Dylan Ratigan wrote a post yesterday in which he says that the fate of our civilization relies on the ability to get clean water to everyone. And it couldn’t be more true.
Yes! We need to all come together and make clean water a priority. Please help share this important topic!
It’s so mad and sad to think there are that many people still without clean fresh water. It’s such a shame! This was a great informative post. Thank you for sharing.
Thank you so much for linking up to #justanotherlinky
Thank you for reading this important post. I hope you will help spread the word and together we can accomplish these Global Goals.
Thanks for sharing how we can help raise awareness. I retweeted this post! Thanks for sharing.
Thanks so much for helping to spread the word. This is such an important cause. We all need to work together to make the world a safe place for all to live in.
It’s really important to have a sustainable and clean water. Thanks for sharing