Water is already an ever-so-critical resource, and a ubiquitous one at that. One must note that the average family of four in America uses 400 gallons of water daily. However, this is only a fraction of the entire scope as domestic use constitutes a mere 8% of total water usage, while industrial use is at 22% and the rest belongs to agriculture. Access is also an issue due to 2.5% of our global water being freshwater and amongst that 1.3% is available for easy access in the form of surface water. Current rates of not only consumption but also its contamination draws attention to the work needed to be done.

Urbanization accompanied with population growth is mainly to blame. With growing demand for our basic needs as well as our wants (ranging from electronic devices to the simplest of trinkets), factories give as an output large amounts of pollutants that get dumped on bodies of water. As a matter of fact,  in China, one water pollution accident takes place on average every two days. This has drastic impacts particularly in more rural areas where households without the infrastructure for pipes or others of the ilk have to go to the contaminated areas to drink, clean clothes, culminating to getting life-threatening diseases. Creatures that live there also die off whilst in some instances we eat them, drawing the negative actions made by man back in a loop. In terms of system maps thinking and the spreading of awareness, understanding the interconnectedness between cause and effect reiterates a need for change.

Fortunately, technological advancements have aided the wellbeing side to things with purification systems such as the LifeStraw. By implementing advanced hollow fiber membrane technology, it aims to filter contaminated water and eliminate nearly all waterborne bacteria as it goes through the straw. However, it does not cover to large of a scope as a commercial product rather than a city wide scope so in relation to tackling the root cause of things, this would be focused upon actual personal habits and governmental policies.

The latter is a focal point when considering that manufacturing plants are controlled mainly by federal administration. Regulations can include market-based economic incentives, water treatment facilities directly at site, regulation of industry effluent discharges, or merely their promotions. For instance, ?The Action Plan for Water Pollution Prevention? brought up in 2015 by China aims to have comprehensive improvement by the year 2050. Major components of this includes cleaner production methods (observable through inspection of apparatus), wastewater treatment with monitoring, proper placement of agricultural and industrial centers, as well as clean transportation in shipping. Research and development are also at hand.

In general, water is such an integral part of biodiversity and all life to the extent that any impact can do good. Whether it be community service, working with government officials or tracing the source of materials purchased, all the future generation asks for is for clean, accessible drinking water.

Note: As stated in the aforementioned, pinpointing main factors comes through system maps thinking. One major one to keep in mind is the Iceberg Model. It is as follows from the highest to lowest tier (with those being behaviors and drivers of behaviors respectively) in that order below. The higher the tier correlates to how visible that concept is in our daily lives.

Events/Outcomes (What is going on that can be seen directly)

Patterns of Behaviors (Trends)

Systems & Structures (Things contributing to behavioral patterns)

Mental Model/World View (Beliefs, values, perspectives)

Following a detailed process like so before implementing action plans targeting the wide array of global issues is imperative to finding a strong, fool-free innovation.

Works Cited:

"China Announces New Comprehensive Water Pollution Control Plan." China Announces New Comprehensive Water Pollution Control Plan: Environmental and Natural Resources Law, Attorneys, Beveridge & Diamond. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Apr. 2017. <http://www.bdlaw.com/news-1734.html>.

Factory in China at Yangtze River. Digital image. Wikimedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Apr. 2017. <https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Factory_in_China_at_Yangtze_River.JPG>.

"Statistics." UN-Water: Statistics. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Apr. 2017. <http://www.unwater.org/statistics/en/>.

"We Make Contaminated Water Safe to Drink." LifeStraw. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Apr. 2017. <http://lifestraw.com/>.