Accessible fresh water sources - from rain, lakes, rivers and aquifers - constitute roughly 1 percent of all the water on the globe. Yet, in aggregate, this is more than sufficient to sustain humanity’s basic water needs. The big challenge is that this water is not always located near the people that need it, leading to significant water challenges in parts of India, Africa and other regions. Changing global weather patterns, driven in part by climate change, will exacerbate water scarcity.

Populations face not just physical water scarcity, but also economic water scarcity. The history of water as a free good, often provided by governments, has led to inefficient water use, particularly in agriculture in the developed world, but also in much of the developing world. Solutions to the water crisis will vary significantly from region to region, but will involve a combination of improved efficiencies in water use, accurate pricing of water resources, and technology solutions to capture available water more effectively.

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