A Waterless Worldby Joey Wu | 24-09-2023 01:39 |
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Imagine a world surrounded by water. Despite being parched by thirst, you can't have a single sip of it. Tantalus is a prominent figure in Greek mythology. For his egregious crimes, he is forced to constantly be surrounded by a vast pool of water while his throat burns. Whenever he tries to drink the water, it recedes, hiding away from him. A few years ago, I was travelling in rural Taiwan when a monstrous typhoon devastated the village. Billowing winds knocked down buildings. Broken glass covered the floors. Trees was splayed in all directions. When I turned the faucet, a stream of yellow minerals flooded out. There was no clean water. This was my first experience with water insecurity. I realized how privileged I had been to always consider water as an unchanging supply. As I continued to travel across the world over the next years, I couldn't help but realize how different cultures approached the problem of water insecurity. With heightened rates of drought and flooding from climate change, water insecurity has become one of the most prominent issues regarding human welfare. What does this look like? With water shortages from increasing droughts, the price of fresh water will skyrocket. Those without access to water will be forced to travel further and further for stable water supplies. In flooded regions, we will find ourselves in a dystopian Tantalus scenario, surrounded by vast oceans of saltwater that we cannot drink. Water safety education and research will save countless lives in the future. As I continue to build my grassroots student initiation (Waterroots) based on elementary school education, I hope to use volunteering and knowledge to help mitigate the effects of climate change.
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