Episode 115: Will There Be Enough Water?

Water seems to many of us like an unlimited resource, what with oceans covering 71% of the Earth’s surface. But less than 3% of the world’s water is fresh, and nearly a third of that is groundwater, found deep beneath the surface in aquifers between soil and rock. Many of the world’s aquifers are drying up as we over-pump them for irrigation, drinking water, and industrial uses. Does the depletion of groundwater pose an existential threat to humanity? Joe and Mark slosh around in the many uses (and abuses) of groundwater, which aquifers are under strain, why we’ve allowed that to happen, and what we can do to replenish them. (Recorded July 17, 2025).