The Last Drop

Louise Pape lives in New Mexico. She is special however, not because of what she does, but because of what she doesn't. While most Americans use about 100 gallons of water a day, Pape uses about 10- she wastes absolutely no water. "I conserve water because I feel the planet is dying, and I don't want to be part of the problem." Pape couldn't be more right-the planet is currently facing a severe water crisis, and "without water, we are nothing". The previous quote is the entire point of the current National Geographic magazine, which was completely dedicated to the dwindling water reserves in the planet. Water is the most important and valuable resource in the planet, and while about 75 % of Earth is made of water, sadly we can't drink that water- we have access to about 1% of the world's water, and that supply is quickly dwindling. This issue of the National Geographic magazine addresses several points on water, such as the importance of water to life, the great melting of glaciers and ice (which hold about 80% of the world's fresh water), the growing scarcity of water around the world, the wars over water that are being spurred up in the Middle East, and of course, how to better use the reserves that we currently have. This entire issue uses a very dark, or harsh, tone when describing the state of our water reserves and the ways in which we waste our water. This mood is used to give people a sense of guilt and a sense of urgency, which is frequently used in other "green" movements, such as many of Al Gore's speeches. However, the magazine ends with optimistic and hopeful ends, as it is important to know that there is still a chance to correct our mistakes in our water use, because if there wasn't any hope, then there would be no hope in trying to stop our current ways.