Where we need to be

Access to clean water is fast becoming a global problem, and it will impact everyone - from those already struggling to get clean water, to those who have never worried about water a day in their lives. As our civilization continues to urbanize and grow, ever larger quantities of clean water must be delivered to more people in increasingly densely populated areas. We can accomplish this by: reducing per capita water usage, producing more fresh water, reducing pollution caused by our current water systems; and better purifying our current water sources. Additionally, we have to secure more adaptable and robust water supplies to protect ourselves from the unpredictable water conditions wrought by climate change.

As we consider this issue, it is critical to remember that water is a finite resource - if we destroy our water sources today, we can't make more tomorrow. For many years those in the 'First World' remained blissfully unaware of where their water came from, but we now near a point where the limited, valuable nature of water can no longer be ignored. In 2002, for the first time, the International Food Policy Research Institute suggested that the limiting force on human population growth is not space to grow food, but access to enough water to keep food products and people themselves alive. This is the mindset with which we must view water.

Only once we accept that water is a limited and precious resource will we be able to realistically address the issues of conservation, improving purification efficiency, lowering water pollution, and planning our cities around available water supplies. Above all else, we must focus on improving water purification technologies - the ability to utilize previously contaminated or impure sources is absolutely necessary to maintaining sufficient access to clean water.