Humans are depleting Earth's fresh water at a dizzying rate by pumping groundwater and sucking rivers dry. Continents are losing enough water each year to meet the needs of 280 million people. And in January, a report from the United Nations warned that the world is entering an era of "global water bankruptcy," meaning we have irreversibly damaged entire freshwater systems.
Kaveh Madani is the author of this report and the director of the United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health. On March 18, he received the 2026 Stockholm Water Prize, which is often described as the "Nobel Prize of Water," for outstanding contributions to the sustainable use and protection of water resources.
