Water is US.

In many ways water is like oil has been. When it is cheap and appears limitless we guzzle it down and don't place much thought or value on alternatives. So with water. But water is much more important to us than oil... as we and all life on the planet depend upon it and are composed of it.

Philosophically, devaluing water is devaluing ourselves. Our bodies are approximately 75% composed of water. Considering our water relationship and the current state of water affairs around the world, it becomes clear that the management of water may soon be the single largest social and economic issue over the coming centuries.

Water footprints provide an effective means to understand our water use. However they are only one part of the process. Not only is it important how much water is used, but it is perhaps more important how the water is changed in the process of using it. Using water and returning it to the natural systems clear and clean does little harm.

Once again considering the situation and circumstances, it is clear that water rationing is inevitable. The problem, as has been illustrated in these MJ water articles, is in the economics. As in many other resource-related aspects of our lives, we visualize numerous good working alternatives, but the implementations are heavily compromised by economic interests.

Raising our appreciation, understanding, and valuing of water is KEY to the future of humanity. We need to create a blueprint for keeping our water pure and clean while producing the products and services that we all need. We need to analyze both water usage and water contamination in the creation, production and consumption of our goods and services. And in addition to our water and carbon footprints, we need complete environmental footprints for all our activities.

Though we appear separate and segmented around the globe, issues like water unite all people. Water crosses all boundaries... between nations, between people and between all plants and animals. Water management is a global issue which requires a global solution. This is not the realm of economics, nor economically-obsessed governments. The sooner we as race (and residents of California) appreciate these basic facts and build global water coalitions based upon pure water and NOT upon economics, the better the future looks for humankind.