There’s Water Everywhere

Abstract

We seem to have a lot of freshwater, yet there is no “new” water on the planet. The available water is recycled through a well-connected system between the earth and the atmosphere. This means that, despite a rapidly growing population, the available and accessible freshwater is roughly the same as it always has been. Supplying this growing population therefore depends on the capacity (and the will) to manage the resource differently (i.e. ensuring its quality, quantity and access) so that it can reach more people. Before the industrial revolution, it was possible to withdraw and consume water to everyone’s satisfaction. We are in a different place now; population numbers no longer allow for the management of water without cooperation, at which we are not good.