Waters

This process sheet is unusual, to say the least, because it deals with an eminently crucial subject: the precious global commons of water, at the heart of the agri-food industry.

Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, in his day, had already grasped the significance of this issue: "Water, you have no taste, no color, no aroma. You are not necessary to life, you are life". That's all – or almost – at a time when the diagnosis of the state of our Earth is catastrophic, with anthropogenic pollution of the seas and oceans, global warming and its share of calamities: melting glaciers, gigantic floods and fires, landslides, unbreathable air, etc. The situation is more than alarming. The situation is more than alarming, the effects of climate disruption are earlier and more severe than expected, and yet despite the many summits dedicated to this cause, since the beginning of the decade, water-related disruptions have been multiplying with violence and devastation. The critical lack of access to a safe water source is a major risk factor for infectious diseases (cholera, dysentery, hepatitis A, typhoid and polio), as well as stunted growth in children, which impacts on poverty and education. The strategic priority is to ensure water security for 3 billion people, and provide free access to drinking water and sanitation for over 300 million. This is a major challenge for our century, which depends on preserving ecosystems and managing the pollutants that are increasingly affecting our planet .