Is freshwater a renewable or non renewable resource?

Answer 1

Strictly speaking, it is non-renewable because water is a simple molecule and there is not much hydrogen around to combine to oxygen and make new water. However, at the local level it is often considered that water is renewable because the global hydrological system is immense so the flows are such that water is generally locally replenished everywhere. But if you inject water deeply underground (like it is done with wastewater from heavy industrial processes) or send it to space (hypothetically) then the water is out of the global hydrological system so it's kind of a non-renewable use of water.

Answer 2

Freshwater is considered a renewable resource because it can be naturally replenished through the water cycle, which includes processes like precipitation, evaporation, and condensation. However, human activities such as over-extraction and pollution can deplete freshwater sources faster than they can be replenished, leading to water scarcity.