About this video

• Video Title: The Surprising Solutions to the World's Water Crisis | The Future With Hannah Fry
• Channel: Bloomberg Originals
• Speakers: Hannah Fry
• Duration: 23:56

Overview

This video, hosted by Hannah Fry, explores the global water crisis, examining its causes, impacts, and potential solutions. It highlights how growing populations, mismanagement, and climate change are leading to water scarcity, conflict, and social unrest. The video also showcases technological and community-based innovations addressing these challenges, from water management in Kenya to advanced recycling in Singapore, emphasizing the need for a shift in how we value and manage water.

Key takeaways

• Global Water Scarcity: By 2025, half of the world's population will face water scarcity due to increased demand, mismanagement, and climate change.
• Impact on Communities: Droughts and water scarcity disproportionately affect vulnerable communities, leading to conflict, malnutrition, and dangerous practices to obtain water, as seen in Northern Kenya.
• Technological Solutions: Innovations like solar-powered water extraction, advanced water filtration, and satellite monitoring (NASA's Grace Mission) are being used to manage and understand water resources.
• Shifting Paradigms: Countries like Singapore demonstrate the importance of self-sufficiency and technological investment in water management, transforming wastewater into a usable resource.
• Water as a Critical Resource: Water scarcity is not just a humanitarian issue but also a threat to national security, with the potential to trigger conflict and displacement.
• Rethinking Value: A fundamental shift in how society perceives and values water is crucial for long-term sustainability, moving beyond seeing it as a mere commodity to recognizing its role in life and security.

Here are the main points from the video:

• The global water crisis is escalating: Driven by population growth, mismanagement, and climate change, water scarcity is a growing problem, projected to affect half the world's population by 2025.
• Consequences are severe: Water scarcity leads to conflict over resources, displacement, and dire living conditions, particularly for communities like those in Northern Kenya who face droughts and dangerous methods to find water.
• Technology offers solutions: Innovations range from solar-powered water systems and deep underground aquifers to advanced satellite monitoring for water levels and sophisticated water purification and recycling processes, as exemplified by Singapore's "Newater."
• Water is a security issue: Beyond humanitarian concerns, water scarcity poses a significant threat to national and global security, potentially causing widespread unrest and conflict.
• A change in perspective is needed: The video emphasizes that valuing water as a critical resource, akin to a national security concern, and investing in sustainable management are essential for securing the future.

Singapore addresses its water scarcity challenges through a multi-pronged approach, with its "Newater" program being a key component.

Here's how it works:

• "Newater" - Advanced Water Recycling: This program involves collecting used wastewater, treating it through a high-tech, three-stage purification process (microfiltration, reverse osmosis, and UV disinfection), and then returning it to the system. This purified water is used to top up reservoirs and supply water-hungry industries.
• Self-Sufficiency: By recycling water, Singapore reduces its reliance on external water sources and becomes more self-sufficient, no longer being "beholden to the unpredictable movement of water."
• Technological Investment: The program highlights Singapore's commitment to investing in advanced technology to overcome its land constraints and water limitations.
• Value Shift: The success of "Newater" has also fostered a societal shift in how water is valued, with citizens understanding its importance beyond just drinking water, recognizing it as vital for life and the nation's security.

In essence, "Newater" transforms wastewater into a high-quality, potable water source, significantly bolstering Singapore's water security in the face of limited natural resources.