Author: Dr. Kamran Emami and Dr. Vijay K. Labhsetwar

Year: 2023,

Type: Special Publication, Format: e-version

The 21st century would be very distinct from the other centuries in the history of mankind. According to Dr. James Martin (2007), an entrepreneur and founder of the 21st Century School at the University of Oxford in his crowning achievement, “The Meaning of the 21st Century: A Vital Blueprint for Ensuring Our Future”, “We are at an extraordinary crossroad of human history. Our actions, or failure to act, during the next decades will determine the fate of the Earth and human civilization for centuries to come. This is a make-or-break century”. The latest data from WRI’s Aqueduct Water Risk Atlas (August 2023) show that 25 countries — housing one-quarter of the global population — face extremely high water stress each year, regularly using up almost their entire available water supply. And at least 50% of the world’s population — around 4 billion people — live under highly water-stressed conditions for at least one month of the year.