00:00Hey everyone, I'm Rebecca and welcome to WatchMojo. I've got some exciting news to share with you.
00:05We've teamed up with Mr. Beast and Mark Rober on an incredible mission, Team Water. Together,
00:10we're aiming to raise $40 million to bring clean, safe water to 2 million people around the world.
00:16This video dives into why water is such a complex global issue and why the time to act is now.
00:22Want to be part of the solution? Visit www.teamwater.org to join the movement.
00:27Thanks for watching and I hope this video moves you to take action with us.
00:57It's these sources of water that are being rapidly depleted by humans, but slowly replenished by rain and snowfall.
01:05And this limited supply isn't distributed evenly around the globe.
01:09This limited supply must meet the needs of over 8 billion people, plus agriculture, industry and energy.
01:15As the population grows, this microscopic slice of usable water becomes even more precious, and unfortunately, more strained.
01:234 billion face annual water scarcity.
01:26Water is our most valuable resource, but over a billion people currently like access to clean sources of it.
01:33Every year, nearly two-thirds of the global population, about 4 billion people, experience severe water shortages for at least one month.
01:40And no, this isn't just in developing countries.
01:44Major cities like Cape Town, Sao Paulo, and even Los Angeles have come dangerously close to running dry.
01:50Water officials believe the past three years could end up as the driest in California's history.
01:56These water shortages don't only impact health.
01:59They also affect things like agriculture and economic stability.
02:02In some regions, rivers are drying up before they reach the ocean.
02:06Sadly, with growing demand and worsening droughts, even more areas may soon face year-round scarcity.
02:12Current estimates predict that by 2040, up to 20 more countries could be experiencing water shortages.
02:19Agriculture is thirsty and growing.
02:22It's been estimated that by 2030, the global population will top 8.5 billion people.
02:28This, of course, means more mouths to feed and more water needed to grow food.
02:32What we're seeing is a diminished capacity to feed our own people.
02:36And that's the tragedy here.
02:38We don't have the water to grow the food that we could be growing here that makes it to the store that we all shop at.
02:44Agriculture already consumes about 70% of global freshwater.
02:48So, to feed the next billion people?
02:51Well, we'll need an extra trillion cubic meters of water annually.
02:54To put that in perspective, that is equivalent to 100 Colorado rivers.
02:59If farming doesn't get more efficient, the demand could far outpace supply.
03:03We need to fundamentally rethink agriculture by growing crops that use less water,
03:08by cutting down on livestock farming, and by using techniques like drip irrigation to maximize efficiency.
03:14With that, water-smart innovation in irrigation and crop production is becoming increasingly vital.
03:20Heading for a major shortfall
03:21According to the United Nations, global freshwater demand could exceed supply by as much as 40% as early as 2030.
03:30Changes in the climate are said to be accelerating this trend by driving more frequent droughts
03:34and disrupting things like rainfall patterns.
03:36Across the country, it's forecast there will be a shortfall of 5 billion liters of water per day by 2050.
03:44The result of aging infrastructure, an expanding population, and climate change.
03:49At the same time, urbanization and industrial activity are also driving up water use.
03:55This looming gap could trigger widespread food insecurity and mass migration.
03:59The projected shortfall only further highlights that the future of water isn't just about access.
04:04It's about survival.
04:06Mass starvation.
04:07Every second an additional person in East Africa is on the verge of starvation unless rain arrives.
04:13In 2025, a distressing report revealed that approximately 90 million people across Eastern and Southern Africa are on the brink of starvation.
04:22The reason for this heartbreaking stat?
04:24You guessed it.
04:25Relentless drought.
04:26In many of these areas, the scarce water has led to crops failing and livestock deaths.
04:31This is the Kosapir River in northern Kenya.
04:3450,000 people depend on this river.
04:37Now, in a good year, I would be underwater.
04:40But this is not a good year.
04:42Sadly, clean water is nearly impossible to find.
04:45These devastating conditions are forcing families to walk for hours just to fetch a single container of water.
04:51The United Nations has since warned that water scarcity is becoming one of the greatest threats to global food security.
04:58Women bear the burden.
04:59They're simply being mothers, sisters, wives, working to create a more dignified life.
05:07These women are inspiring.
05:09What if we told you that every day, women and girls around the world spend a collective 250 million hours fetching water?
05:16Yep.
05:17In some countries, they walk upwards of 6 kilometers a day, often carrying up to 20 kilos of water on their heads.
05:24We did the conversion, and that's 44 pounds.
05:26Sadly, this daily chore keeps millions of girls out of school and places women in poverty.
05:32It also exposes them to danger along remote routes.
05:35It turns out that water access isn't just a resource problem.
05:39It's a gender equity issue.
05:41They're not trying to change the world.
05:43But they will.
05:44Hundreds of millions go without water.
05:50I just turn on the tap and realize there is no water coming out of the tap.
05:54Despite an influx of technological advancements, some 700 million plus people still live without regular access to water.
06:01That is more than double the population of the United States.
06:05Many of these affected individuals live in rural areas or conflict zones.
06:09This means that critical infrastructure is either poor or has been destroyed.
06:13Because of this, the lack of water greatly affects everything in these locations,
06:18from sanitation and hygiene to education and economic opportunity.
06:22Unfortunately, without clean water, it also means that these communities remain stuck in cycles of poverty.
06:27We need to figure out how to value fresh water as a public good.
06:31Something that's vital for human and non-human life now and in the future.
06:362023 was the driest in decades.
06:39We begin with breaking news about the increasingly dire state of the global climate.
06:44There's a new report just out this morning confirming that 2023 smashed temperature records.
06:51In 2023, the United Nations reported that global river flows hit their lowest levels in over three decades.
06:58Record heat played a role and so did the loss of glaciers that feed the rivers.
07:03Uncharacteristically, rivers that have powered civilizations for centuries,
07:06such as the Yangtze River, the Rhine River and the Colorado River,
07:10ran dangerously low or even dried up in certain parts.
07:13The culprits?
07:14Rampant overuse, unchecked pollution and accelerating changes in the climate.
07:18Driven by a lot of factors, of course.
07:21The main one is the continued use of fossil fuels, pumping CO2 and greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.
07:27But yeah, this was a big one.
07:29Unfortunately, if this trajectory holds, vanishing rivers won't be rare.
07:34They'll be the new normal.
07:35And without them, the ripple effects on food, energy and human survival will be immense.
07:41Two billion lack safe drinking water.
07:43Staggeringly, an estimated two billion people don't have access to safely managed drinking water surfaces.
07:50With that, their water is often untreated and unprotected, making it incredibly unsafe for consumption.
07:56We go out and pray for the water because the water is sick and it's contaminated.
08:01As you might imagine, the consequences are extremely harmful as contaminated water spreads diseases such as cholera, typhoid and dysentery to name but a few.
08:10It also puts stress on healthcare systems and stunts economic development.
08:14Access to clean water has proven to be not just a luxury, but a human right.
08:19Sadly, it's one that too many in the world are denied.
08:22Water is a basic human right.
08:24Everyone deserves access to clean drinking water no matter what our race or color is or how rich or poor we are.
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08:45Unsafe water kills.
08:47The main fact is this.
08:48No one stands to suffer more than children.
08:52If you still weren't convinced how critical access to clean water is, consider this.
08:56Diseases linked to unsafe water and poor sanitation kill over 1 million people each year.
09:02Most heartbreaking of all, a child under 5 dies every few minutes from waterborne illnesses.
09:08Diseases like cholera, typhoid and dysentery spread through water and they can kill children.
09:13These deaths are entirely preventable.
09:16With access to clean water, proper sanitation and basic hygiene education, countless lives could be saved.
09:21Yet despite the staggering toll, water often remains an afterthought in global aid and infrastructure planning.
09:28For millions, especially the most vulnerable, clean water is the difference between life and death.
09:34But it's clear that if we don't manage our precious water resources more wisely, the consequences could be very serious.
09:41Remember, water is life and together we can save it.
09:44Don't forget to visit www.teamwater.org to help make a difference.
09:49Clean water is the most fundamental thing that people need to survive and thrive.
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