Water covers more than 70% of the Earth’s surface yet risks of scarcity and limited access form one of the defining crises of the coming century. Only 2.5% of Earth’s water is fresh, and the majority of that is locked in glaciers or deep aquifers beyond easy reach. Climate change together with urbanization and development of coastal areas, expansion of agriculture and industrialization have created conditions whereby governments worldwide face not just water challenges but crises of real severity. Global water consumption by humans has grown no less than 25% in only the last two decades, even as increased temperatures…