Most of the water we use is not included in the water bill, it is hidden in every object or in food, in our trips and in our work. It is not the water that flows in the shower or out of the faucet in the bath or the kitchen, it is the water used in the supply chain of goods and services. The water footprint provides this information and informs us that we are trading with water without even realizing it. We therefore contribute to the “transfer” of millions of liters between countries and continents. It is a key factor in the equation of the planet’s sustainability.

The unstoppable exponential growth of cities will turn us into an eminently urban species in a few decades. For life on Earth to be sustainable cities also need to be so, and this will not be possible without the smart technologies integrated in circular economy. Their implementation is a great challenge for poor economies, which are most overwhelmed by urban growth and are not able to supply water and sanitation. This needs to be an international responsibility because what happens in these cities will be decisive for life on Earth.

In Lake Wular, Kashmir, Billa collects floating garbage to support his family. He is happy because by doing this, he is contributing to cleaning the water. He is the protagonist of Saving the Saviour, the short film by Jalal Jeelani, finalist in the micro-documentary category of the We Art Water Film Festival 4. His life and testimony highlight the importance of saving the largest freshwater reserve in India and also ending the situation of millions of children around the world who, like him, depend on the collection of garbage to survive.

“Black”. That is how many children in Nepal perceive water. Like the protagonist of Color of Water, the short film by Sabin Maharjan, winner of the We Art Water Film Festival 4 in the micro-fiction category. The Himalayan country, which is home to the headwaters of the main rives in southern Asia, has severe supply problems for its population.

Heat waves, droughts and abnormal and in many cases unseen floods. The first half of the summer in the northern hemisphere has confirmed some of the direst forecasts of global warming experts. Having the most efficient forecast systems available is a challenge for science that is essential for the adaptation to climate change.

The alteration of nature caused by our activities places us before a challenge based on constant knowledge: to discover, predict and evaluate the consequences of what we are doing with natural resources and the environment we live in forces us to be effective in Research, Development and Innovation. The water security of the planet depends on the experience of the most developed countries reaching everyone.

The short film by the Colombian Nicolás Durán, winner in the micro-documentary category of the We Art Water Film Festival 4, is a beautiful tribute to pure water, an immense gift of nature that is increasingly rare to find unless we climb to the top of the mountains. In Colombia and all around the world, it is urgent that we act as the protagonist of the short film, who changed his attitude to be coherent with his thinking.

The circular economy in the treatment of water does not only imply an improvement in water security and in the safeguard of the environment, it is also an almost unexplored opportunity for economic growth. It forces a change of paradigm that is not easy in the productive model of rich countries, but it presents important asymmetries with those who still struggle for access to water and basic sanitation. The balance of the planet depends on the reuse of water for the benefit of all.