For a future with water in Spain |National Geographic National Geographic National Geographic

For our geographical situation, climate change continues to add catastrophes to the long list of consequences that rerecate the Mediterranean, one of the most vulnerable territories in the face of global warming: increase of six centimeters of its sea level and 1.4º at its temperature -Almost half a grade more than the global average -, summers five weeks longer than in the 80s, an increase of 6% of the semi -arid territory, more extreme temperatures, greater frequency of heat waves, up to 30% less rainfall, increaseof pests and respiratory diseases, etc..

In these circumstances, it is estimated that the impacts of drought are greater than those of any other natural disaster, with high environmental, economic and social costs.There is also a direct relationship between areas with greater water stress and those with a higher risk of poverty, which has caused that in the last decade we have seen cuts in the supply of these areas in a regular basis.

In the last great drought, in 2017, the tank trucks that supplied the municipalities without water throughout the country ceased to be a specific service to become an essential service for its inhabitants and the local economy.In the depopulated Spain, the water supply is more increasing.Lastras de Cuéllar, in Segovia, or Fuentecantos have been suffering the lack of drinking water for the contamination of their aquifers years.

Before the pandemic, the streets of the whole world bull the rhythm of the young people who flooded the cities in the marches for the weather every Friday.The Coronavirus has relegated the struggle for action and climate ambition to the screens, where its course continues throughout the world.In a quieter, but unstoppable way, the Youth For Climate movement advances with the aim of placing the climate in a political front line.Young people are, at the same time, one of the most vulnerable groups in the shortage of water and the key agent to achieve a turning point in this crisis.

The entrepreneurship of young people in terms of water shortage translates into the necessary innovation that draws through sustainability a future that, today, does not exist.Talent against water scarcity goes through initiatives as ingenious as diverse.These initiatives range from the application of artificial intelligence to water purification, as Hèctor Monclús has done in its Drinkia project, to the use of apps such as EFOODPRINT, which indicates the water and carbon footprint of agriculture.Other examples are the implementation of a solar hybrid system for the disinfection of water and electric production, created by Marta Vivar García, or the tracking with GPS technology the water supplied by informal vendors with 'Water Tracking App', a project of Sonia Hoque,Dustin Garrick, Jane Zhao, Paul Ekwar, Jacob Katuva and Cuff Nyaga.

No longer the future, but the present of water is in the hands of the youngest.And around him initiatives such as Young Water Professionals or Global Shapers arise that are transforming the horizon of this crisis.Innovation becomes essential to cover the greatest challenge facing humanity, and achieving the turning point will depend on how much we can nurture our water model of new habits, technologies and water management models.

In addition to young people, sustainable development objectives place the private sector as another of the great agents of change.Along these lines, actions such as the water collection campaign that the Spanish Federation of Food Banks (Fesbal) has launched together with Finish are an example of union against water waste and an integrated management in the link between thepoverty and access to drinking water and food.The #Porunfuturoconagua initiative intends to redistribute the water saved with the elimination of the pre -laughed to families that do not have access to quality water in those areas of Spain with greater risk of water shortage.