Show Notes
Fresh water sustains all life, but in many regions, especially arid ones, it is becoming increasingly scarce due to climate change. Aging infrastructure and ineffective policies are only making the situation worse, affecting communities, economies, and even the political stability of some countries. As water shortages intensify, it’s crucial to rethink how we manage this vital resource and develop more adaptable systems that can better withstand the effects of climate change.
This episode was originally released on July 8, 2021.
Featured Guests
Sandra Postel, Founder and Director, Global Water Policy Project
Mark Giordano, Professor of Geography and Cinco Hermanos Chair in Environment and International Affairs, Georgetown University
For an episode transcript and show notes, visit us at https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/water-scarcity
More from Why It Matters
What happens if the world’s pharmacy decides to close? From ibuprofen to amoxicillin, a majority of the essential medicines used in the United States depend on ingredients from China. This dependence has left the United States vulnerable to a geopolitical rival that could decide to cut off its access at any time. On this episode of Why It Matters, Rush Doshi, senior fellow at CFR, and Olivia Kosloff, senior fellow at the American Economic Liberties Project, unpack how the dependency came about and what’s at risk if the pharma supply chain snaps.
GLP-1 drugs such as Ozempic have become some of the world's most-wanted medicines, but soaring demand has also turned them into a stress test for the global drug system. On this episode of Why It Matters, Gabrielle Sierra and CFR Senior Fellow Prashant Yadav trace how the GLP-1 trend led to shortages, a booming gray market, and steep price gaps driven by patent laws that vary across borders.
This episode explores how drones, cell phones, and other widely-available intelligence tools are turning civilians and aid workers into frontline witnesses—documenting war in real time, guiding humanitarian aid, and helping build evidence that could power future war crimes cases.
This episode traces one young woman's journey home to a new kind of war—and Ukraine’s fight for survival.
This episode outlines the global network sustaining both sides of the war in Ukraine, with NATO allies on one side and Russia with backing from China, Iran, and North Korea on the other, and how the limits and tensions within these alliances are shaping the war’s next phase and raising broader global security risks.