Given Institute: “Global Fresh Water”

Circle of Blue Featured Speaker at The Given Institute

The Fresh Water Crisis: Health of a Planet and its People

Water is the planet’s axis issue. The quality, quantity and access to freshwater has significance for every human challenge — from the potential for vast new pandemics to the impacts of climate change to food scarcity to energy to environmental sustainability. Solving the world’s water crisis also solves many of the planet’s most pressing issues.

As part of the Given Institute’s program on health, J. Carl Ganter, director and co-founder of Circle of Blue, presented stories from around the world that focused on health, water and our future. The 21st century is spawning breakthrough trends that are reshaping how people assess their places in the world and their responses. Will we respond in time?

Economic and environmental urgency is colliding with communications technology and a new civic appreciation for the wisdom and influence of the crowd. The result is an explosion of opportunity that not only is crippling old institutions and giving rise to new ones, but also is redefining the power of people to collaborate and solve the planet’s most important crises.