Leonardo DiCaprio

To People of the World:

Water is ageless, indestructible, and creative.

Through millennia, the water cycle has supported all life. Water is a major influence on weather, seasons and climate; and provides habitat, in one way or another, for all the world’s living forms.

We are water beings living in a water world. Our very thoughts are sourced from water, and our brains float in water. Our brains contain more water than any other organ. Therefore, it is important for us to be aware of the water that flows into our bodies from our planet.

If we pollute and mismanage our water resources, life within water, and life on land suffers disease and increased mortality. If we keep water clean and manage it well, water will reward us with good health, minimal disease, and an ever abundant variety of life forms.

Only a tiny fraction of our earth’s water is fresh.
And, that small fraction supports everything from agriculture and sanitation to aquatic ecosystems such as rivers and streams. In recent history, we have learned how water interconnects all life. The water that circulates around our planet and provides life with a living home is known as our biosphere.

Today, humanity is facing a fresh water challenge that is staggering. With close to 6 billion people on Earth, an estimated 2 billion of us lack adequate water for drinking and sanitation. As a consequence, approximately 10 million of us die each year from inadequate access to clean water.

There are many large and expensive development projects now being proposed to remedy our water crisis. At the same time, there are many governmental and corporate interests vying to own or control our access to water.