A sustainable world must meet current human needs without compromising those of future generations. Therefore, it is necessary to reflect on what we understand by these concepts, the meaning of which varies dramatically depending on the human group to which we refer. The contrasts in access to water provide a reasonable basis for this reflection, which is essential if we are to agree on what we mean by sustainability.

The search for solutions to the pollution caused by mercury used in artisanal gold mining reveals how difficult it is to deal with a semi-clandestine activity widespread in many developing countries, often generating an informal economy. Mercury causes death and keeps more than one million people worldwide chronically and silently ill. Developing global ethics for the gold market is essential to end dumping and provide justice for miners.

The world of water shows us that we must study problems and approach solutions from a global perspective. All human activities are closely interrelated, and isolated sectoral initiatives run a high risk of failure in terms of efficiency and sustainability.

Since the cognitive revolution, in its constant search for water and food, Homo sapiens has become the dominant species on Earth thanks to the observation and interpretation of the landscape. Yet, in an increasingly urban world, reading what nature is telling us is a skill we are losing. Amidst a climate and environmental crisis, the appearance of the land is sending out signals of a worrying change. We should relearn this language.

A new project in Sierra Leone shows us the importance of ensuring water and sanitation in schools to reverse the impoverishment of neglected rural areas. Passing on to students the ability to manage the facilities turns them into educational agents in their communities, ensures sustainability, and gives them an empowered future.

Desalination is an option for reducing water stress that has advanced spectacularly. It is a process that faces the challenges of reducing costs, avoiding gas emissions, and solving the polluting problems of brine, its main waste product. It can be an option for developing countries, provided its suitability is evaluated, the technological gap is eliminated with the appropriate alliances, and public-private collaboration is adopted as a fair and effective model.

In this turbulent 2022, we have helped people displaced by war and improved the lives of farmers and schoolchildren. The rights of women and children to access water, sanitation, and hygiene have remained our main focus. We have participated in major international debates on climate and water, promoting dialogue and awareness. But it is not enough; we must continue to move forward to turn water and sanitation from a problem into a solution. 

We owe our present existence to hair loss and sweat on bare skin. These evolutionary traits gave us thermoregulation, which allowed us to thrive outside the shade of the forest. It also created a total dependence on immediate access to water that has stayed with us to this day.