Huge numbers of people throughout the world live in places where there is a water crisis. 
The richer people are, the more they ignore it. The poorer they are, the more they suffer from it.
The whole of the USA, North Africa, the Middle East, China, Australia, and most of South Asia, are areas of water stress. People in these regions are using more water than falls from the sky.
We use water in our homes and we feel easy about that, living in Yorkshire where it rains. But we also use water products from places of water stress. The new techniques for oil and gas extraction, in fact most processes that provide us with fuel for our cars and home heating, not only use a lot of drinking water but also pollute drinking water for poorer people overseas.
A lot of the upmarket fruit, flowers and vegetables in the shops deprive poorer people of drinking water.
We are pretty good at being grateful for obvious stuff. Water is different. It is a hidden benefit in so many ways. Our water footprint is bigger than we think.
Perhaps the big price rises we expect for anything flown in to the country and for fuel generally will help us to be more grateful for water as well as for much else that we shall miss or only will only be able to afford as luxuries.
There is always a bright side!
Mervyn Flecknoe, Eco Officer.
