9781422285558

puddles on the road. We can put it in a glass, chug it from a bottle, or gulp it from a fountain. We travel under it, over it, and above it. Water is one of the most vital resources on the planet. It determines where we live and what our quality of life is like. Yet we humans often abuse water. We taint it with chemicals and human sewage. We waste it. As Earth’s population continues to grow and the planet warms, there’s just not going to be enough freshwater to go around. Seems strange, doesn’t it? After all, if scientists could build a drinking glass as large as the United States and fill it with every drop of water on the planet, the glass would be 90 miles (144.84 kilometers) tall. With all this water, you would think everyone would have enough water to drink. That’s just not the case. There exists only about 8.4 million cubic miles (35 million cubic kilometers) of usable freshwater on the planet. Freshwater is becoming scarce because of overuse, an ever-increasing population, and climate change. Growing cities, slaking thirsts, energy production, and industrial uses are making water more precious than gold, silver, or crude oil.

8