Humanity is used to measuring wealth in terms of oil, gas and gold. For centuries, these resources have determined world politics, wars and economic development. But the 21st century has made it increasingly clear that water is becoming the most valuable resource for the future. Not oil, not diamonds or even rare earth metals, but water is the source of life, without which neither human existence nor the development of civilisation is possible.
Today, millions of people already live with a shortage of clean drinking water, and climate change is making this challenge even more acute. Where rivers used to flow in full flow, today there is desert and drought. Where water once seemed inexhaustible, it has to be extracted at enormous cost and effort. And if oil was once called "black gold", water is increasingly becoming "blue gold" - a wealth on which existence itself depends.
The economy of the future will not be built around hydrocarbons, but around water resources. Those countries that are able to preserve their rivers, lakes, and underground sources and learn to manage them competently will have a strategic advantage. Investments in desalination technologies, in water purification and conservation, in water distribution and efficient use systems are becoming more important today than oil or gas production. After all, oil can be replaced by renewable energy, but water cannot.
Today, more than two billion people face a shortage of clean water. International organisations estimate that by 2050, the demand for fresh water could grow by more than 50%. Water security is becoming a matter of national strategy, and technologies for water treatment, reuse and desalination are part of the new infrastructure of the 21st century.
Responsible investment in water resources is not just a business, it is a guarantee of the future. Every investment in water source conservation, modern irrigation systems, environmental projects and new desalination technologies is an investment in life. It is not about profit today, but about the sustainability and security of tomorrow.
History teaches us that civilisations have risen and fallen around water. Great Egypt grew up on the Nile, Mesopotamia on the Tigris and Euphrates, and China on the Huang He and Yangtze. Wherever water flowed, life flowed. Today, humanity is facing this challenge again, only on a global scale.
For me, water is not only a natural resource, but also a symbol of responsibility towards future generations. Investing in water means investing in the existence of humanity, in health, in stability, in the possibility of development. This is the choice of those who think not a year ahead, but for decades. It is the choice of the strong and the far-sighted.
I am convinced that the future belongs to those who can protect water and invest in its conservation. Because water is more expensive than oil, and this is the truth of the 21st century.
With faith in God, responsibility and the future.
I am honoured!
Andrey Gmyrin
