human beings can only use a small fraction of earths water

Question

I read this claim in an article that I will provide below were talking about how earth is covered mostly by water the majority of it (97%) is saltwater found in oceans leaving a small fraction (3%) left to be freshwater considering that saltwater is not directly usable for drinking, agriculture, or industrial purposes. I found this to be interesting and questionable to why such a large portion of our water is consumed by chemicals to say the least of only being allowed access to 3% is so limited

National geographics is known to get their information based from Washington DC which is generated through magazines and tv sales

Answer 1

I think that by saying humans can only use a small fraction of the water is misleading. Yes, only about 3% of Earth's natural water is freshwater, but there are many ways to convert saltwater into drinkable water. Yes it is expensive, but it is possible. 

https://engineering.cmu.edu/news-events/news/2019/12/18-barati-farimani-desalination.html# 

Carnegie Mellon is a reliable and prestigious university on the east coast that has gotten its information from research from its engineering school. 

Comments

I think to make this fact check better you could include more statistical facts and allude to why or why not we can use Earth'a water. the source you used is very informative and provides a lot of information as to why the fact is misleading.

Answer 2

After researching this claim it does seem to be true that 3% of Earth's water is fresh and only 0.3 percent of the freshwater is found on the surface of lakes, rivers, and swamps. With access to the full article, it is easier to tell about the validity of their claims but they do mention having photographs from space and being able to study those. There are multiple authors with different educations and doctoral degrees in urban planning, educational technology, natural resources, and so on. I am unaware of when this article was first released but was last updated in January 2024. Many other news outlets are claiming the same information. Everything that they claim seems genuine and fair-minded. This text seems well-balanced and does not appear to have a bias surrounding it. The title is short and sweet describing exactly what the article is explaining. With that being said, I do believe the article is true and not exaggerated.

Comments

Where did you get the information to back this up? Other than from the original article that was linked?

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What other articles or sources did you look at to get your information about Earth's water? What news outlets were claiming this same information?

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I agree, the source seems fairly reliable, though the title can be a bit misleading. While it's true that only about 3% of Earth's water is freshwater, which humans rely on for drinking, agriculture, and other needs, the usable portion is even smaller because most of that freshwater is locked in glaciers or underground. So, the title might oversimplify the issue, but the overall point about limited usable water is accurate and well-supported by scientific data.