WHAT ABOUT WATER? A boundless resource or a crisis in the making?

Water is essential for all life on Earth, yet climate change is disrupting the natural water cycle, altering where, when, and how much water is available. In many ways, climate change expresses itself through water.

In this episode, James and Daisy talk about the vital role of water. What is the water cycle? How will water security will be impacted by the changing climate? What can we do about it?

SOME RECOMMENDATIONS:

• Is a River Alive? by Robert Macfarlane – At the heart of this book is a single, transformative idea: that rivers are not mere matter for human use but living beings – who should be recognized as such in both imagination and law.
• Mina Guli is a renowned water advocate and ultrarunner who has dedicated her life to solving one of the world’s most urgent issues - the global water crisis. Following a successful 15-year career in law, finance and climate change, Mina founded Thirst - a non-profit focused on changing how we think about water. In March 2022, for the #RunBlue campaign, Mina set out to run 200 marathons in just one year, finishing the race at the first global UN water conference on World Water Day, 22 March 2023. This World Water Day on Saturday, March 22 2025, runners from around the world united for the #WorldWaterRelay - the largest global relay for water.

OTHER ADVOCATES, FACTS, AND RESOURCES:

• CDP – a global non-profit that runs the world’s only independent environmental disclosure system. Over 24,800 companies, representing two thirds of global market capitalization reported through CDP on climate change, forests and water security.
• Stuart Orr has been with WWF since 2006 and works with the private sector on a range of water related activities, from water footprint to public policy engagement. WWF estimate freshwater ecosystems have an economic use value of $58 trillion, or roughly 60% of global GDP.
• Water.org – a global nonprofit organization working to bring water and sanitation to the world, founded by Matt Damon and Gary White.
• Goldman Sachs Asset Management (GSAM) is launching its first biodiversity-focused bond fund, offering fixed-income investors a way to support nature conservation.

• NASA (2023) – There are more than 326 million trillion gallons of water on Earth.
• Natural History Museum – The ocean has an average depth of approximately 3.7 kilometres (or 2.3 miles).
• USGS (2019) – About 71% of the Earth's surface is water-covered, and the oceans hold about 96.5% of all Earth's water. Only 2.5% of Earth's water is freshwater - the amount needed for life to survive.
• World Bank (2017) – Globally, 70% of freshwater is used for agriculture.
• World Bank (2023) – 2 billion people live in countries experiencing high water stress.
• WaterAid – Diarrhoea caused by dirty water and poor toilets kills one child under the age of five nearly every two minutes.
• WaterAid – A staggering 90% of all natural disasters are water-related.

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Music: “Just Because Some Bad Wind Blows” by Nick Nuttall, Reptiphon Records. Available at https://nicknuttallmusic.bandcamp.com/album/just-because-some-bad-wind-blows-3

Producer: Podshop Studios

Huge thanks to Siobhán Foster, a vital member of the team offering design advice, critical review and organisation that we depend upon.

Stay tuned for more insightful discussions on navigating the transition away from fossil fuels to a sustainable future.