Water is storming its way up the sustainability agenda – and with good reason. Almost one billion people don’t have access to safe drinking water, and 2.6 billion lack basic sanitation – that’s well over a third of the world’s population.
Last week, the UN insisted that unless we pay attention to the global water crisis, the Millennium Development Goal for environmental sustainability will be missed.
Surely such water issues don’t have anything to do with soggy Great Britain! Well, they do actually. Water is a local issue on a global stage – affecting our economy, our security, our environment and our global impact. Why? Because it’s not just about the liquid in our taps. It’s about the water used by other countries to produce the goods we buy, the food we eat, the bottled water we enjoy. It takes 3 litres of water to produce your 1 litre bottle of water. No wonder water is being called 'the new oil'. The team at The Story of Stuff have created this brilliant video about the issues.
Raise a cheer, then, for Paris. The city has unveiled its latest tactic to persuade Parisians off bottled water: a public drinking water fountain offering free sparkling water. It's called Petillante - "she who sparkles". Let's hope it sparks similar innovation across the Channel.
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