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Articles by Adam Lowe

Adam I. Lowe is a freelance environmental researcher based in Washington, D.C.

Featured Article

1.1 billion — the number of people worldwide who lack an adequate and safe supply of water for their daily needs, approximately one in five 5 million — the number of people, mostly children, who die each year from illnesses caused by poor-quality water supplies 5 — the minimum number of gallons of water needed to meet a person’s daily needs, according to the World Health Organization 4.5 — the average number of gallons of water consumed daily per person in Haiti in 1995 24 million — the number of people in Bangladesh estimated to be drinking water from arsenic-tainted shallow wells 50 — the percentage of people in Africa who suffer from water-related diseases such as cholera and infant diarrhea 20 — the percentage of the world’s freshwater supply that is in Canada, which recently banned bulk exports of water $90 billion — estimated annual global investments in public water supplies $4 billion — estimated annual sales of the U.S. bottled water industry 2 — the number of people who stripped naked during the opening ceremonies of the recent World Water Forum, to protest the construction of a dam in Spain

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  • Bean Counting

    3,300 — number of cups of coffee that are consumed each second worldwide 6.3 million — metric tons of coffee produced in the world in the 1999-2000 crop year 25 million — number of farmers who grow coffee worldwide, the majority on small-scale farms 600-800 AD — the era in which an Ethiopian goat herder […]

  • Fool's Gold

    125,000 metric tons — estimated amount of gold mined worldwide since historical times 2,500 metric tons — amount of gold mined worldwide in 1998 360 cubic feet — amount of waste rock removed in order to produce enough gold to make an average pair of gold wedding bands 31 — number of fatalities in gold […]

  • Gas 'n' Uh-oh

    40 percent — petroleum’s share of global energy consumed in 1998 $246 — amount spent by the author on gasoline to drive a 1987 Honda Accord 5,700 miles on a cross-country road trip from Feb. 15 to March 15, 2000 $433 — estimated amount the author would have spent if he had driven a new […]

  • Mercury Falling

    1,931 advisories have been issued by state and local governments telling the public to limit consumption of fish caught in local water bodies due to mercury contamination 1 mercury-containing home fever thermometer can contaminate a 20-acre lake with enough mercury to provoke a fish consumption warning $3 – $5 is the extra cost of purchasing […]