In Episode 18 of his podcast, Lorenzetti addresses water scarcity as a conflict that is already shaping daily life and foreshadowing economic, political, and moral disputes. The episode connects data, readings, and concrete experiences to reflect on the urgent need for a new water pact.
In this new episode of The Ricardo Lorenzetti Podcast, the Supreme Court Justice proposes a stark, albeit unsettling, examination of water from an extremely close perspective. “I invite you to imagine our lives without water or with great difficulty accessing it,” he states in the opening. “It’s difficult to imagine now, but it’s already happening.” The episode then unfolds a map of restrictions already affecting cities around the world, from limits on bathing to the obligation to reuse wastewater. What once seemed inexhaustible is beginning to become a cause for concern.
Specialized literature helps reveal what we don’t see. Tony Allan, in Virtual Water, explains that absolutely everything we consume contains water. Lorenzetti takes up this idea to show that scarcity isn’t limited to the tap, but extends to the very structure of global consumption. Peter Gleick, in Bottled and Sold, exposes another paradox. “Where did this idea of turning a free, natural resource into a luxury product come from?” Lorenzetti asks. The question points to a culture that has normalized paying for bottled water even in countries where tap water is safer.
The episode also highlights the contradiction between enjoyment and harm. People bathing in melting areas, “singing joyfully” as glaciers retreat. Arctic countries celebrating trade routes emerging due to the melting ice. “Human behavior is quite strange,” says Lorenzetti, because even in the face of tragedy, people seek immediate advantage.
The structural shift is clear. Demand is growing due to population growth, agriculture, mining, and technology, while supply is decreasing due to deforestation, glacial retreat, and pollution of seas and aquifers. The IPCC estimates that “for every degree Celsius of temperature increase, seven percent of the world’s population will face a twenty percent decline in renewable water resources.” The consequence is inevitable: when a resource is scarce, conflict arises.
Lorenzetti mentions that “663 million people live without drinking water,” a figure that helps explain why in so many neighborhoods the fight is over a single jug of clean water. Barlow and Clarke’s Blue Gold adds another layer to the debate: the growing interest of global companies already investing in water reserves because of their future value. The tension between scarcity and private appropriation is central to the episode.
The solution requires leadership. “There has to be a national water plan,” he states. Universal access, uncontaminated water, and sanitation systems that reduce disease. Also, technology that allows for reuse and reduced consumption. The Israeli case, studied by Seth Siegel, serves as an example of management in territories where scarcity is structural.
The episode dedicates a segment to the discussion on privatization. Lorenzetti revisits Ronald Coase’s theories, but draws a line: “Delineating waterways is very difficult” because everything is interconnected. The essential point, he says, is that private ownership of water would generate exclusion. “Not everyone will be able to afford it,” and access would be contingent on economic means.
The closure brings natural systems back into focus, particularly wetlands. “Sooner or later, they take their revenge,” he states, reminding us that building on them causes flooding and irreparable damage. The final message encapsulates the heart of the episode: protecting water means protecting life itself. “Let’s remember that future generations will be fighting for water.” The thirst for water, he concludes, is also a thirst for justice.
Listen to Ricardo Lorenzetti’s podcast on Infobae (Spanish): Thirst for Water and Thirst for Justice
