Right now, like more than half of the world’s population, you’re probably within 3 kilometres of a freshwater body, and you’re almost definitely within 10 kilometres of one.
Lakes and rivers are often cornerstones of communities. … and it shapes everything else about our homes too. Fresh water is part of the landscape, and helps create the landscape too. When it evaporates from oceans, the salt stays, turning the vapour into fresh water once again. As it runs over rocks and soil, it carves its paths into the landscape.įrom Lake Winnipeg, water empties into Hudson Bay and the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans. The running water accumulates sediments, nutrients, and salts as it erodes the land, and it’s this process that contributes most of the salt that ends up in oceans.įresh water literally shapes our world. On its way, it could be swept into wetlands, tributaries, and pools alongside the river, becoming part of different habitats and connecting people within and across territories. Rain falling near, say, Woodland Caribou Provincial Park, about three hours north of IISD Experimental Lakes Area, may land in a headwater lake emptying into a river that ultimately leads to Lake Winnipeg. As it runs over rocks and soil, it carves its paths into the landscape. We Don’t Live in Fresh Water, but It Still Shapes Our Habitat…įresh water literally shapes our world. Humans depend on fresh water for many basic functions. From the most fundamental biochemical reactions to large-scale habitat, fresh water is needed for every aspect of life. It’s even helping you process this information by playing a role in making neurotransmitters. As you read this, water is keeping your body oxygenated and at a comfortable temperature, digesting food, and protecting your joints, brain, and spinal cord. Despite covering only 0.8% of Earth’s surface, freshwater ecosystems support over 40% of fish species and 2% of all invertebrate species.īack on land, humans need to consume fresh water for cellular processes and use it for hygiene to stay healthy-which has been particularly emphasized by COVID-19. The opposite process happens in marine fish. For example, freshwater fish actively transport salt into their bodies and water out of their bodies to maintain the proper internal salt concentration. Most species use either fresh or saltwater, and have specific adaptations to the kind of water that they need. So Why Do We Need Fresh Water?Īll organisms need water to survive. Nibi is sacred, nibi is medicine, and nibi is alive. While Anishinaabe take care of and give offerings to nibi, nibi provides physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual well-being and healing. Women have the specific role of speaking for it, because-like nibi-they are capable of giving life. It has relationships with other living beings, and these relationships carry responsibilities – just like our relationships with human relatives and friends.Īs you read this, water is keeping your body oxygenated and at a comfortable temperature, digesting food, and protecting your joints, brain, and spinal cord.Īll Anishinaabe are responsible for taking care of nibi. Nibi is seen as a relative and a teacher.
This declaration recognizes nibi (water) as alive and as having its own spirit. In 2019, the Nibi Declaration of Treaty #3 formally recognized Anishinaabe nibi inakonigaawin, which translates to Anishinaabe water law. This western scientific approach does give a very straightforward answer, but what about other perspectives? At IISD Experimental Lakes Area, we work on Treaty #3 territory, the traditional land of the Anishinaabe Nation and the homeland of the Métis Nation. According to Environment Canada, fresh water has less than 500 milligrams of salt per litre, or 500 parts per million (ppm) of salt. Across organizations, it’s almost always defined as less than 1% salt and often-as in these two examples-well below that. The United States Geological Survey uses a slightly different definition: less than 1,000 ppm, or 0.10%. Because of this wide range, it’s often defined as what it’s not: salty.įresh water has less than 500 milligrams of salt per litre, or 500 parts per million (ppm) of salt, according to Environment Canada. Fresh water takes many forms, including clouds, rivers, icebergs, most lakes, and the water in your glass.