The Big Thirst: The Secret Life and Turbulent Future of Water - Essay Example

The Big Thirst: The Secret Life and Turbulent Future of Water “The era of easy water is over.” This is just one of the ideas that Charles Fishman claims in his book titled, “The Big Thirst: The Secret Life and Turbulent Future of Water.” Many authors have written about the subject of water; most talked about its health advantages but only Fishman’s account reveals the history and evolution of water in a revolutionary way. This paper discusses the ground-breaking ideas that Fishman shares in his book regarding water—its history, uses, and future. Generally, Fishman’s ideas about water are common but through his claims, readers are led to realize the importance of those ideas. First, he claims that water is “unquestionably the most important substance in our lives... It is part of the “mystery of life and the routine of life” (2). This statement is true. The human body is composed of 50-60% of water, thus making water a mysterious substance that makes people survive for days even without food. Second, Fishman also enumerates the uses of water. According to him, people use water incessantly in their daily routine and important activities: to baptize children, digest food, quench thirst, feed animals, bathe, clean the dog, wash hands and dishes, cook, plant rice, fruits and vegetables, etc. These uses of water are commonly known. What is uncommon is the fact that water is also used to make bottled drinks, put up a concrete building, launch a spaceship, run electricity, make flat-screen TVs, set up MRI machines and Twitter accounts, produce iPhones and cars, etc. Meanwhile, five liters of water is also needed to produce two bottles of coke. As Fishman identifies these other important uses of water, his claims become more and more interesting and appealing to readers. Water has amazingly upheld the lives of people. It generally helps farmers sustain their farms and supply the need of people for food and beverages. Water in many parts of the world is accessible to farmers. However, in some countries like Australia, water seems to be scarce, thus there is great effort on the part of farmers to grow plants and harvest foods. Unfortunately, tons of water are required in some lands in order to turn a dry land into a fertile one. Often, people think that the secret of a farmer’s success is his ability to plant or his hi-tech farming tools and equipment but as Fishman points out, it is actually water that makes the harvest possible because without it or with very minimal water supply, the crops will not continue to grow. This thought resounds Fishman’s idea that “Water is unquestionably the most important substance in our lives” (2). Without water, our knowledge and talent will have no use and it will be impossible to drink or eat. According to Fishman, the days of unlimited water supply is over and the years of big thirst are yet to come. He reveals to us the many incidents in Australia’s desert, where travelers died of thirst under a hundred degrees heat. Among whom was the 17-year old David Iredale who went camping with three friends. Each of the friends carried only four liters of water, hoping to find rivers along the way, but all had dried up. The teenager died after intense heat and 17 hours of no water intake (147). This reemphasizes the importance of water, which some people take for granted. There are a million uses of water but there are more than a million times when people use water improperly. Now that we are faced with scarcity of water in many areas, the need to conserve water supply suddenly becomes the goal of many companies. Fishman comments that water is becoming scarce because we do not use it wisely. Simple filtration and chlorination of water are some ways to treat used and unused water. According to Fishman, these two ways are not just important to conserve water but these simple processes also reduced mortality rate dramatically (7) in recent years. There are less cases of dehydration due to dirty water supply in many areas, hence continued processes to filtrate and clean water should be progressively underway. Fishman believes that people have passed the golden age when there was plenty of free water to enjoy. Changes in the world’s’ economy, population, climate, etc. have resulted in the repletion of water. At this time, people have entered an era when potable water is difficult to find and drinking water is not usually available for free. For instance, convenience stores such as 7 –Eleven sell water at USD 1.3 per gallon. Surprisingly, people nowadays would prefer to buy water if they need some instead of drinking from fountains. This shows one future of water, that is, clean water is only those that are bottled and priced. Water from drinking fountains and faucets are therefore considered unclean or non-potable nowadays. If this idea will continue, the government will have a better excuse not to be responsible for making clean, potable, accessible and low-cost water. Some efforts are underway to conserve water. In California and Las Vegas, water from fountains is being recycled (69). Meanwhile, Australia revised its water system over the last five years so as to maintain its water resources. Households were not allowed to water their plants or lawn everyday and people were informed of ways to conserve water. Contrary to the belief that water is becoming scarce, there is more than enough water on earth. Fishman claims that the Earth maintains its water; it does not lose it but only changes its form. Further to this, he implies that the water that we drink nowadays could be the water that extinct dinosaurs have drunk in the past. With this novel idea, one could not help but be wary that the water we are using now is too polluted. If this is so, then today’s scientists and governments should reinforce means to purify the water and make it sustainable. Another idea that Fishman introduces is the relationship of people with water. Fishman expresses that people should feel their relationship with water. He wonders why people are very conscious about their relationship with God, family, friends, etc. but fail to recognize their relationship with water. This means realizing where water came from, how we should treat or handle it in order to avoid losing it in the wrong way. According to him, establishing relationship with water will help conserve the water greatly because by then, people will have a certain respect for water just like they do for personal possessions. Fishman expresses hope that the world will soon find innovations for water. As of now, several companies including GE, Royal Caribbean and IBM have made spectacular solutions of colleting rain water and converting them to clean water. Such technologies are necessary to sustain life on earth. Fishman adds that we have an advantage over older generations because we can understand and manage the movement of water. “The Big Thirst” offers a number of novel ideas about water and its role in our lives. In sum, it makes readers realize the true value of water. As expressed by the author, water should not be treated as a commodity; it should be treated as an inheritance, a precious substance that a generation will hand over to the next generation. It should be treated as a living substance with whom we share a relationship. Just like other living things, water is full of energy and should be respected. If people will give respect to water, they will refuse to use it improperly, thus conserve and purify it. Conversely, Fishman’s idea of water as a legacy, it being handed from one generation to another, implies that like other legacies in the world, people should honor water and never do anything that could ruin it. People know of corals and reefs being secured as the United Nations declares them as World Heritage. Some species are considered endangered and killing them is punishable by law. However, the idea of water as a World Heritage has never been established and neither is the idea of respecting water ever taken seriously like the way sharks are respected. If most legacies in the world are being taken care of and honored, why is water taken for granted? Take for example a video of a flat-tailed tortoise being put in a hot pot compared to a video of children playing with clean water on the street. Which video will lead the audience to feel alarmed? The first video will more likely create an alarm. However, both the tortoise and water are essential to ecology; water is even more important because it sustains all living organisms. In spite of these, water is wasted unsparingly. The book makes readers realize the role they play in relation to water. If it is true that the earth maintains its water, then the water that we have in our body will later be absorbed and used by the earth. If this is so, people must be responsible for the water they consume because the same water will be used by future generations. As caretakers of the universe, people should keep on finding means and solutions for the earth’s problems. As regards the current problem with water, people should constantly invent ways to cleanse and purify water. Additionally, we should gear our resources towards conservation of water and other natural resources. Agricultural inventions that require minimum amount of water for farming should be prioritized, taking into consideration recycling as the best means to make sustainable use of water. Finally, researchers should likewise dig deeper into possibilities of renewing water resources such as dead or polluted rivers, seas, etc. Different sectors of society such as schools, government units and even private organizations should work hand in hand to conserve everyday water (i.e., recycling using man-made streams) despite the cost. With the ideas presented, “The Big Thirst” is a must for every environmental student. Reading the book will lead them to know the real value of water and the challenges that they should face in relation to sustaining the world’s water. Based on the recommendations of the author, environmental students may be able to formulate their research studies in the future. If they should work on water, the book will be an important reference especially in terms of history of water and the challenges it faces now and in the future. Reference Fishman, C. (2011). The big thirst: the secret life and turbulent future of water. New York: Free Press. Read More