Atmospheric Water Generation

Water is the most important element for life and prosperity in the planet. It is a basic component to fulfill human needs, support health and livelihood, and propel economic development. Water underpins food and energy security and enables environmental and ecosystem integrity.

However, overexploitation of water bodies, inefficient use, pollution, lack of investment in infrastructure and technology, ecosystem degradation, and climate change are placing sustainable water access at risk.

According to the United Nations , half of the world’s population currently experiences severe water scarcity for at least part of the year. One-quarter of the world’s population faces ‘extremely high’ levels of water stress, using over 80% of their annual renewable freshwater supply. In 2022, over 2.2 billion people around the world lacked access to safe sources of potable water and 3.5 billion lacked sanitation services.

Precipitation is the main source of fresh water and plays a fundamental role in water availability. As a result of climate change, droughts will be more frequent and intense exacerbating water scarcity. A recent study from the University of Queensland concluded that, in a high CO2 emission scenario, over 5 billion people will be affected by changes in the patterns of precipitation by the end of the century. Mexico stands out as one of the most vulnerable countries to droughts with 100 million people affected, according to the same study.

However, prospective studies are not even necessary. In Mexico, climate risk is materializing in real-time with one of the most severe droughts in history. Over 58 % of the country′s territory is currently facing some degree of drought and 26% is facing extreme or exceptional drought with significant economic and social impacts. While Mexico City confronts water shortage in 45% of its neighborhoods , the recent droughts in the northern state of Sonora drove a governor′s emergency declaration due to its impacts on agriculture and livestock production. ?

Fixing water leaks, as well as saving, treating, and recycling water help to improve consumption and management efficiency. Barely 14% of Mexico′s population receives water 24/7, 40% of the water served is lost due to water leaks, less than 50% of the wastewater is treated and water reuse is practically nonexistent . The UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean estimates that addressing the shortcomings of Mexico′s water infrastructure will require annual investments equivalent to 1.57% of its GDP . However, while low tariffs charged by water operation bodies prevent them from investing in infrastructure maintenance and renovation, federal budgets for water purposes are insufficient.

Moreover, none of the efficiency measures recommended by experts will suffice in the lack of a sustainable source of water supply. It is impossible to serve, treat, or recycle unavailable water. Mexico will need to invest in technology solutions aimed at increasing the supply of water from nonconventional sources.

The good news is that generating water from the atmosphere (AWG) is not only feasible, but it is also becoming more affordable and versatile. Just like solar panels and lithium batteries a few years back, AWG technology advances rapidly by improving efficiencies and cutting costs. Revenues from AWG technologies grew 20-fold in only 2 decades reaching US$ 9.3 billion in 2022. Just like the sun's energy, the atmosphere is an inexhaustible source of water because it carries 10 times more capacity than all the rivers and lakes in the world and it replenishes its full supply every 8 days. ?

Water has become a priority issue for political campaigns in Mexico this year. Atmospheric water generation should be considered as one of the solutions.

Article originally published at: https://www.reforma.com/agua-atmosferica-2024-03-24/op268037?pc=102

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