So what does BRICs stand for? BRICs in simple terms refer to countries that financial analysts all over the world believe offer excellent opportunity for long-term economic growth and development. These countries are Brazil, Russia, India and China. The small âsâ is sometimes included to refer to South Africa â this will be explained later.
Thermoelectric-power withdrawals accounted for 49 percent of total water use, 41 percent of total freshwater withdrawals for all categories, and 53 percent of fresh surface-water withdrawals. The Nesjavellir Geothermal Power Plant in Ã¾ingvellir, Iceland.
1 400 gallons: The amount of water per person used by the average American citizen; 30 percent of this is used for outdoor purposes, such as watering the lawn.  70 percent: The amount of worldwide water use that is allocated to farming; most of these farming irrigation systems operate at only 40 percent efficiency. According to a 2002 article by Lester Brown, aquifers are depleting all over the worldâin China by 2-3 metres per year.