The pollution of water by intensive agriculture and livestock farming has a high health and environmental cost. This problem's solution is as complex as it is urgent. We must be able to provide food security for 8 billion people without damaging the environment. Water free of pollutants will indicate that we have achieved this.

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 earthquake in Turkey is a humanitarian tragedy that has again shown that disaster risks increase with neglect, corruption, and poverty. Destruction is always associated with poorly built infrastructure and an uninformed population.

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.

Scientists are looking for a definition of the geological era characterized by the disruption humankind has caused on Earth. The aim is to understand what we have done, to have more data on the generated effects, and to propose a new approach to sustainability. What action can define the Anthropocene? Among the list of dramatic changes, water pollution and the impact of hydraulic infrastructures are among the candidates.

At the eastern tip of the Horn of Africa, Somalia is struggling with an unprecedented humanitarian crisis. Recurrent droughts and endemic violence plague the country and show the complexity of the challenge the international community must face.

COP15 on biodiversity has been the first in which the private sector has participated. It is a realistic and practical step forward that reverses the flow of pressure from citizens and companies to political power and promotes the understanding of natural capital as an irreplaceable value that must be preserved.