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The Water Century: How Fresh Water Becomes the Resource Nations Organize Around
11 min
A deep dive into the era of 'water bankruptcy,' exploring how the depletion of aquifers and the weaponization of rivers are reshaping global power, food security, and human migration.
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Show notes
Mexico City is physically sinking nearly ten inches every year due to irreversible aquifer depletion.
Four hundred twenty water-related conflict events were recorded in twenty twenty-four alone.
Agriculture consumes seventy percent of global freshwater through the export of water-intensive crops.
Artificial intelligence data centers require millions of gallons of water daily for server cooling.
Drought in Gatun Lake forced shipping restrictions that delayed billions of dollars in goods.
Armed groups are gaining power by seizing control of water access in governance vacuums.
In this episode
- 1Intro1 min
- 2The Dawn of Water Bankruptcy3 min
- 3The Weaponization of Flow3 min
- 4The Thirsty Machine: AI and Agriculture3 min
- 5Fragility and Forced Migration2 min
- 6Outro1 min
Sources
- Water, Power, and the Future of Conflict - Circle of Blue
- The Future of Water: Water Insecurity Threatening Global Economic Growth, Political Stability - ODNI
- The Global Water Crisis: Stress, Scarcity, and Conflict | Council on Foreign Relations
- Is water the next geopolitical battle? - GZERO Media
- BBC Audio | The Inquiry | Why are our taps running dry?
- The water wars are coming - UnHerd
- Will Nationalism, Illiberalism, and Climate Change Lead to Water Wars?
- World Enters “Era of Global Water Bankruptcy” UN Scientists Formally Define New Post-Crisis Reality for Billions | United Nations University
- S4E2: The Era of Water Bankruptcy
- Water Wars — The Hydro-Diplomatic Order Is Collapsing in Real Time — OsakaWire
- World enters era of 'global water bankruptcy' | UN News
- The world is in the 'era of water bankruptcy'–here’s what that means | United Nations University
- The world is in water bankruptcy, UN scientists report – here’s what that means
- Water Bankruptcy: The Formal Definition | Water Resources Management | Springer Nature Link
- Planet Enters Era of ‘Global Water Bankruptcy,’ UN Report Says - Circle of Blue
- Water Bankruptcy: A New Perspective on Water - Circle of Blue
- World enters the era of global 'water bankruptcy,' U.N. scientists warn - Los Angeles Times
- Global Water Bankruptcy | United Nations University
- World is entering an era of 'water bankruptcy' | New Scientist
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