Many people argue that the plastic used to house bottled water is contributing to global warming because the industry is creating a big carbon impact not only in creating the bottles, but also in how recyclable they are after use. For this reason, arguments have been made that the government should ban bottled water sales to help stop global warming.
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However, there are also reasons why having access to bottled water is important. Here are three:
1. It's Useful After a Natural Disaster
After a natural disaster like a hurricane or tornado, water supplies can become contaminated. When this happens people need access to bottled water so they don't risk contracting a disease, like cholera, that comes from drinking water that is not clean.
The use of bottled water is important during natural disasters, according to the World Health Organization, "Cholera outbreaks can occur sporadically in any part of the world where water supplies, sanitation, food safety and hygiene practices are inadequate."
If bottled water was banned it would be more difficult to get people the water they need during emergencies.
2. May Be Only Safe Source of Drinking Water
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If you're living in a developing country, you might not have access to safe drinking water, therefore if bottled water was banned people, would not necessarily have access to drinking water that was free from diseases. This would affect not only the people living in these communities, but also travelers visiting the developing world.
3. Unfair to Manufacturers When Other Bottled Drinks Aren't Banned
Another argument against banning bottled water – which was posed by Charles Fishman in a National Geographic editorial – is that if bottled water is banned, then all bottled drinks should be banned, including soda and beer.
"The environmental contrail from bottled water is astonishing. It takes a fleet equivalent to 40,000 18-wheelers just to deliver the bottled water Americans buy every week. But how is the fleet of trucks delivering water in bottles any different than the fleets delivering caramel-colored, caffeinated water in bottles?
It takes 2.5 liters of water to produce every liter of Coke products," Fishman said in the National Geographic piece.
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