Question

Approximately what proportion of all the water on earth is found in the form of freshwater available for human consumption and use?

1) Less than 1%
2) Around 2%
3) Approximately 3%
4) More than 5%

Answer 1

Less than 1% of all the water on Earth is freshwater available for human consumption. Most of Earth's water is saltwater, and the majority of freshwater is locked in ice caps or underground, making it inaccessible for direct use.

Step-by-step explanation:

Approximately what proportion of all the water on Earth is found in the form of freshwater available for human consumption and use? The correct answer is 1) Less than 1%. While about 71% of the earth is covered by water, the vast majority of this is saltwater in the oceans, constituting nearly 97%. Only about 2.5% is freshwater, and of this small portion, even less is accessible for human use. Most of the freshwater is located in ice sheets, icebergs, glaciers, or underground, leaving a minimal amount that is available in rivers, lakes, and streams for human consumption and use.

Given the precious little freshwater that is actually readily available to organisms, the distribution of Earth's water is a concern in global resource management. This underscores why access to drinking water remains a critical issue in many parts of the world, despite the abundance of water on the planet's surface.