What Price a Glass of Water?
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?
