Charles Fishman: The Big Thirst

Air Date: June 3, 2011

Hour 2

The Chinese government has a $62 billion plan to correct their depleted depleting drinking water supply that involves diverting trillions of gallons of water from one river to another. Philadelphia is moving along with their $2 billion stormwater plan that involves green roofs, porous pavement and many more tree plantings to keep water contained. Pennsylvania’s present and future drinking water has been a high-profile debate questioning the impact of extracting natural gas by hydraulic fracturing. Well, the golden age of water is behind us according to business journalist CHARLES FISHMAN. The developed world has grown accustomed to having unlimited safe, clean, mostly free water to cook, flush, bathe and frolic in. In Fishman’s new book, The Big Thirst: The Secret Life and Turbulent Future of Water, he looks at the vast water industry’s transformative bottled-water trend; electrical power plants; and how the thirsty in such disparate places like rural India to decadent Las Vegas deal with water shortage through conservation, cooperation and innovation.

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[audio: 060311_110630.mp3]

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