Environment

I wonder what the world was like on the eve of its greatest invention - the wheel? Was it poised breathless, knowing that human life was about to change dramatically and forever? We should be breathless in the same way now - we should also be poised on the brink of another invention that will change our world, and us, dramatically and forever. We will recognize the invention when it arrives - we have been waiting for it, we are ready for it, and we know exactly what to do with it, just as our ancestors knew instinctively how to put the wheel to work. There will be no dithering.

The invention, quite simply, will be a substitute for water. I grew up on the continent of Africa, which no longer has water. It had plenty when I was young. We played in it, swam in it, wasted it, let the faucet run, washed the family car with the hose pipe and watered the garden mercilessly. We built buildings in huge reflecting pools and scattered public fountains around our town. Today, Africa is a continent of dust, civil war, fly-infested children with swollen bellies, with no water to waste and no water to drink. There is a new name for water - it is being called "Blue Gold." It has acquired commercial value. According to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural organization, more than 1 billion people, or about a sixth of the earth's population, lack access to a healthy water supply. 200 million people around the world are infected with schistosomiasis, a disease which comes from drinking contaminated water and destroys the human organs.

Can you imagine living in a residence that has no water connection? I was shattered to read that only 20% of the world's residences have running water. In China, two thirds of the cities have a dearth of water. The aquifers in India are reportedly running dry and in many developing countries, wars are being fought over the precious resource which we take for granted in the western world. There is little fresh water on the earth today, meaning that all water has already been used and recycled. We cannot manufacture "new" water, other than by our puny efforts at desalinating. The amount of sweet water on the earth is the same quantity as it always has been and it is the human population that has changed and brought about the shortages.

As the world population grows, our individual share of the world's water shrinks and soon everyone will be at risk. Wake up on Monday morning, leap out of bed; uh uh, no shower today - I'm due for one on Thursday. Half a cup of coffee and dash off to the office. There I am allowed one cup for the day and the water cooler is under supervision. Dinner is almost dry; I downed my month's beer ration by the tenth.

 Next thing we know is that there will be illegal "water running" across state lines and from country to country. The unscrupulous will build illegal pipe lines and tap into anyone else's exposed and available water supply pipes. The price of water will rocket as it does for any commodity in short supply and a black market will develop. "Hey, Mister, I have fresh water! Twenty bucks a liter?"

 After that, or perhaps it is already happening, the conglomerates will start building desalination plants and buying up lakes, dams and rivers in order to control a share of the water market. Secret dams will be built high in the mountains to trap as much rainfall as possible for storing, packing and selling at exorbitant prices. Bandit tankers will roam the oceans, off-loading fresh water to the highest bidders.

 This is a good time to search for water companies on the stock exchanges of the world and start buying up stock. You won't lose your investments.

 So it's time to stop chasing after the unattainable. We cannot clear the blockage to the water problem. Let's build a by-pass, let's find a replacement for water. A new substance. It doesn't have to be a liquid or look like water and it doesn't have to smell like water, although it would probably be better if it did. But it does have to serve the same functions, from making soup to manufacturing semi-conductor chips to irrigating our fields.  

 Of course there is an alternative to the new substance, but it bears little thinking about. We human beings, animals and plant life will have to undergo some sort of mutation process to make us adaptable to a waterless environment.

 Remember the little green men from Mars?