The Water Privilege

Clean water is no longer something that we can access freely; it is now a privilege.

With only 3% of the world's water usable, over 2 billion people globally suffer from water scarcity at least once a month. Often outdated and profit-driven agricultural practices are responsible for 70% of the freshwater usage.

By 2030, the overwhelming water scarcity could leave 700 million people displaced.

While some of us are privileged enough to simply drink from the tap water or reach for crisp, cold, packaged water, too many people, including children, travel over 10km to acquire clean water.

Water makes up most of the Earth and us. It is time to reevaluate how we use the precious, finite, clean water around us.

This award-winning photograph is from the ninth season, “Water”, of the Hamdan bin Mohamed bin Rashid al Maktoum International Photography Award (HIPA) Archive. The Climate Tribe has partnered with HIPA, leveraging the power of photography to inspire global awareness of sustainability and advance climate action.