The most precious commodity in the world <My treasure!>
If we’re going to talk about food, we’re going to have to talk about water. Thinking about quality gastronomy, which respects the environment and the process of growth of plants and animals implies in a great way thinking about the use, handling and distribution of water. Some specialists predict that the wars of the near future will be (or rather are) no longer for oil or gold, minerals or gas, but for water.
It goes without saying that we need it for each and every one of the activities we carry out and its use in agriculture, which ultimately brings products from different origins and, depending on the process, different qualities to our tables.
Due to a sum of socio-economic factors, it seems unlikely to me that the people who read this post are people who suffer from the lack of it, and that is why the awareness of the responsibility we have in this respect must fall on us. I simply want to invite reflection and if possible, the implementation of the solutions that some experts offer us.
General Overview
According to United Nations data, 1.1 billion people worldwide lack a water supply and more than 2.6 billion live without access to adequate sanitation (ONU). In addition, water demand is increasing at a rate that doubles world population growth statistics, and by 2025 (in the worst estimates) demand could be 56% higher than supply (Article).
In a somewhat macabre vein, I quote former World Bank Vice President Ishmael Serageldin who once said, “The wars of the 21st century will be about water”.
Desde el pFrom a business point of view, it is the perfect product: demand is constant, growing and it has no competition because it has no substitute. Many companies the privatisation of extraction and control of water services (TNInstitute). An alarming have seen its potential so that an industry has been formed that specialises in fact is that two companies have control of 70% of the water market. (To illuminate the size of the business of these companies a little, we can say that the most important of these two has an annual profit of 2.5 billion dollars (Forbes) .
“What we know is a drop of water; what we ignore is the ocean” Isaac Newton
All this that is happening with the market’s control over the planet’s water reserves has been called global water grabbing (TNInstitute). It should be borne in mind that the water market is not limited to extraction but also involves various types of infrastructure (dams, reservoirs, hydropower stations, canals and irrigation systems). The water business is so fruitful that investment funds have even been created that specialize in this sector.
The future of the control that will be made of water is not prescribed, fortunately there are positive voices and interesting proposals; people and groups actively fighting for the system to change.
Hoping that water will go from being valued as an “economic good” to being valued as a public resource. For example, Susan George (President of the group ATTAC in France) in an interview for CNN Spain who considers that it should be considered a universal public resource: “(…) I think that it should not be free, only the first 40 or 50 litres and then the price should rise very sharply.
This way we can ask people who have swimming pools, the rich, to pay for the basic water needs of the poor”.
