What Is the Future of Water?

On World Water Day, experts discussed the latest findings on the world’s limited supply of fresh water—and what can be done

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What Is the Future of Water?

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Water security—having sufficient access to safe water for our daily needs—is at risk. Today, more than 800 million people lack access to safe drinking water at home. By 2025, over half of the world’s population is expected to live in water-stressed areas. 

Globally, shifting patterns of water availability, falling groundwater levels, and new extremes—from persistent droughts to regular floods—will threaten human health, our food supply, and the environment.  

How will this affect the future of water, and what can be done?

In recognition of World Water Day, The Pew Charitable Trusts and The National Academies on Friday, March 22 held a discussion with three contributors from the latest issue of Pew’s Trend magazine on the future of this valuable, finite resource.

Expert insights from:

Tom Dillon
Vice president and head of environment, The Pew Charitable Trusts

Jay Famiglietti
Professor and executive director, Global Institute for Water Security, University of Saskatchewan

Sandra Postel
Director, Global Water Policy Project, and author of Replenish: The Virtuous Cycle of Water and Prosperity

Moderated by:

Elizabeth Eide 
Director, Water Science and Technology Board, The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine

EVENT DETAILS
Date: Friday, March 22, 2019
Time: 9:00-10:30 AM EDT
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Water is the Earth’s most important resource, and our collective approach to using, managing, and thinking about it must evolve quickly if we hope to have enough water to sustain us in the future, panelists said at an event in Washington on World Water Day, March 22.

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