2013 has been declared as the United Nations International Year of Water Cooperation. And, today is World Water Day. Charles Fishman and Shalini Kantayya, both water speakers, think it's vital that we pay more attention to, and redefine the way we look at, our most precious natural resource. Why? According to Kantayya, we are the midst of a looming water crisis. As she discovered when shooting her film Drop of Life, two-thirds of the world's population will be without access to clean drinking water by the year 2027. And that doesn't just mean people in developing countries—the impacts of this massive shift will affect us all. In fact, as she explained in a recent interview, water is set to become the most important commodity of this century.
In his bestselling book, The Big Thirst, Charles Fishman has come to a similar conclusion. He examines how water-related issues have come to define our times. The golden age of water we once lived in—where water was unlimited, safe, and free—is over, he says. He has spent the last three years traversing the globe to uncover the way our water use is changing, and the dramatic implications these changes have for all us. Broadly applicable and insightful, both speakers bring the water conservation message home—laying out what we need to do today to ensure a promising future.
