What is our most precious resource? Most people would say oil or gold, but they’re wrong. You can’t grow food with oil, and we don’t need gold to live.

Water is our most precious resource. Since 70% of our planet is water, it may seem like there’s a lot of it to go around. However, only 3% of that is freshwater, which is what we use to farm, drink, and bathe.

Around 1.2 billion people are already facing a shortage of freshwater. By the year 2025, this number is expected to increase to 1.8 billion. The problem is getting worse because of overpopulation, climate change, and people simply wasting water. For example, the US Environmental Protection Agency says that one trillion gallons are wasted every year by leaking faucets. That’s enough water for 24 billion baths.

It’s clear we all have a role to play in fixing the problem. The good news is it’s not too hard. Try showering for one minute less and you’ll save 150 gallons of water every month. Turning the water off when you brush your teeth will also save four gallons a minute.

何謂世上最珍貴的資源？ 多數人可能會說石油或黃金，其實不然，因為我們無法用石油種植食物，也不需要黃金來維持身體機能。

「水」才是最珍貴的資源，地球有70%的面積都是水，可分配使用的水資源看似豐富，其實只有3%是淡水，供應我們平時農耕、飲食和浴廁方面使用。

約有12億人口已面臨了淡水短缺的問題，到了2025年，此數字預計將增為18億。人口過剩、氣候變遷以及浪費水資源的行為，使短缺問題更加惡化。舉例來說，美國國家環境保護局表示，光是漏水的水龍頭，每年就會浪費掉一兆加侖的水資源，等於洗澡240億次的用水量。

顯而易見，改善此問題人人有責，幸好節約用水並不難。淋浴時間只要減少一分鐘，每個月就能節省150加侖的水；刷牙時關水，一分鐘亦能省下4加侖的水。