In todays world, day to day we experience so many luxuries that we take for granted. One of these things is our accessibility to water. My personal water footprint is 1,595 gallons of water per day.

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https://waterfootprint.org/en/water-footprint/what-is-water-footprint/

In calculating my water footprint, I chose to use the generator to calculate my water footprint while at Dickinson as well as at home. On campus, I live in my sorority house with 10 other girls. Because the generator asked many questions about household use and because I feel I can be more water conscious at home, I did the generator for my home life as well.

As mentioned, my footprint while at school is 1,595 gallons/day. In contrast, my water footprint at home is 1,288 gallons/day. Because it is just my mom and I at home, we can be more aware of our water use as well as trying to minimize it. Both at home and at school I am still below the national average of 2,220 gallons/day. In comparison, Tunisia averages about 1,611 gallons/day and Egypt averages 977 gallons/day.

Part of the explanation for these countries having a smaller daily water footprint could be because of environmental limitations and lack of water availability. Most countries have more internal water use than water use from external use from imported products or ingredients. Libya, however, is a place that has significantly more external external water use and places such as Algeria have almost even use between internal and external.

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http://maps.unomaha.edu/Peterson/geog1000/Notes/Notes_Exam2/NA.html

The lack of water in places in North Africa can effect the sustainability of human life and politics in these places. I have been blessed with never having to even consider a lack of water, however, this is not the case in many places. Especially places in the Middle East and North Africa, water availability is often a main concern for human life as well as being a large factor in economic dimensions.

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Climate Change, Water Security, and U.S. National Security

Increasing desertification in North Africa is making water scarcity an even bigger concern. The expansion of the desert is leading to increasing lack of water as well as increasing need for water. Water availability, therefore, is a more pressing issue in this region than in my own region in the United States.