TEDSummit 2019
Sonaar Luthra: We need to track the world's water like we track the weather
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We need a global weather service for water, says entrepreneur and TED Fellow Sonaar Luthra. In a talk about environmental accountability, Luthra shows how we could forecast water shortages and risks with a global data collection effort -- just like we monitor the movement of storms -- and better listen to what the earth is telling us.
Sonaar Luthra -
Sonaar Luthra is the creator of Water Canary, a water-testing device that collects real-time water-quality data from the field. Full bio
Sonaar Luthra is the creator of Water Canary, a water-testing device that collects real-time water-quality data from the field. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
00:12
We need to build
a weather service for water.
a weather service for water.
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Yet, until we collectively
demand accountability,
demand accountability,
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the incentives to fund it will not exist.
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The first time I spoke at a conference
was here at TED, eight years ago.
was here at TED, eight years ago.
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Fresh out of grad school,
little did I know
little did I know
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that in those few minutes onstage,
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I was framing the questions
I was going to be asked
I was going to be asked
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for the next decade.
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And, like too many 20-somethings,
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I expected to solve
the world's problems --
the world's problems --
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more specifically,
the world's water problems --
the world's water problems --
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with my technology.
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I had a lot to learn.
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It was seductive,
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believing that our biggest
water quality problems persist
water quality problems persist
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because they're so hard to identify.
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And I presumed
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that we just needed simpler, faster
and more affordable sensors.
and more affordable sensors.
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I was wrong.
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While it's true that
managing tomorrow's water risk
managing tomorrow's water risk
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is going to require better data
and more technology,
and more technology,
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today we're barely using
the little water data that we have.
the little water data that we have.
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Our biggest water problems persist
because of what we don't do
because of what we don't do
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and the problems we fail to acknowledge.
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There's actually little question
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about what today's water data
is telling us to do as a species:
is telling us to do as a species:
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we need to conserve more,
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and we need to pollute less.
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But today's data is not going to help us
forecast the emerging risks
forecast the emerging risks
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facing businesses and markets.
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It's rapidly becoming useless for that.
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It used to carry more value,
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but it's never actually told us
with any real accuracy
with any real accuracy
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how much water we have
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or what's in it.
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Let's consider the past decade
of water usage statistics
of water usage statistics
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from each of the G20 nations.
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Now, what these numbers do not tell you
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is that none of these countries
directly measures how much water they use.
directly measures how much water they use.
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These are all estimates,
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and they're based on outdated models
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that don't consider the climate crisis,
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nor do they consider its impact on water.
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In 2015, Chennai,
India's sixth-largest city,
India's sixth-largest city,
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was hit with the worst floods
it had seen in a century.
it had seen in a century.
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Today, its water reservoirs
are nearly dry.
are nearly dry.
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It took three years to get here,
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three years of subaverage rainfall.
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Now, that's faster than most nations
tabulate their national water data,
tabulate their national water data,
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including the US.
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And although there were forecasts
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that predicted severe shortages
of water in Chennai,
of water in Chennai,
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none of them could actually help us
pinpoint exactly when or where
pinpoint exactly when or where
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this was going to happen.
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This is a new type of water problem,
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because the rate at which
every aspect of our water cycle changes
every aspect of our water cycle changes
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is accelerating.
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As a recent UN warning
this month revealed,
this month revealed,
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we are now facing one new
climate emergency every single week.
climate emergency every single week.
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There are greater uncertainties
ahead for water quality.
ahead for water quality.
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It's rare in most countries
for most water bodies to be tested
for most water bodies to be tested
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for more than a handful
of contaminants in a year.
of contaminants in a year.
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Instead of testing, we use
what's called the "dilution model"
what's called the "dilution model"
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to manage pollution.
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Now, imagine I took
an Olympic-sized swimming pool,
an Olympic-sized swimming pool,
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I filled it with fresh water
and I added one drop of mercury.
and I added one drop of mercury.
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That would dilute down
to one part per billion mercury,
to one part per billion mercury,
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which is well within what
the World Health Organization
the World Health Organization
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considers safe.
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But if there was any unforeseen drop
in how much water was available --
in how much water was available --
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less groundwater, less stream flow,
less water in the pool --
less water in the pool --
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less dilution would take place,
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and things would get more toxic.
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So this is how most countries
are managing pollution.
are managing pollution.
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They use this model to tell them
how much pollution is safe.
how much pollution is safe.
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And it has clear weaknesses,
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but it worked well enough
when we had abundant water
when we had abundant water
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and consistent weather patterns.
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Now that we don't, we're going to need
to invest and develop
to invest and develop
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new data-collection strategies.
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But before we do that, we have to start
acting on the data we already have.
acting on the data we already have.
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This is a jet fuel fire.
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As many of you may be aware,
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jet fuel emissions play
an enormous role in climate change.
an enormous role in climate change.
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What you might not be aware of
is that the US Department of Defense
is that the US Department of Defense
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is the world's largest
consumer of jet fuel.
consumer of jet fuel.
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And when they consume jet fuel,
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they mandate the use
of the firefighting foam pictured here,
of the firefighting foam pictured here,
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which contains a class
of chemicals called PFAS.
of chemicals called PFAS.
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Nobody uses more of this foam
than the US Department of Defense,
than the US Department of Defense,
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and every time it's used, PFAS
finds its way into our water systems.
finds its way into our water systems.
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Globally, militaries have been using
this foam since the 1970s.
this foam since the 1970s.
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We know PFAS causes cancer, birth defects,
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and it's now so pervasive
in the environment
in the environment
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that we seem to find it in nearly
every living thing we test,
every living thing we test,
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including us.
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But so far, the US Department of Defense
has not been held accountable
has not been held accountable
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for PFAS contamination,
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nor has it been held liable.
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And although there's an effort underway
to phase out these firefighting foams,
to phase out these firefighting foams,
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they're not embracing safer,
effective alternatives.
effective alternatives.
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They're actually using
other PFAS molecules,
other PFAS molecules,
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which may, for all we know,
carry worse health consequences.
carry worse health consequences.
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So today, government accountability
is eroding to the point of elimination,
is eroding to the point of elimination,
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and the risk of liability
from water pollution is vanishing.
from water pollution is vanishing.
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What types of incentives does this create
for investing in our water future?
for investing in our water future?
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Over the past decade, the average
early stage global investment
early stage global investment
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in early stage water technology companies
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has totaled less than
30 million dollars every year.
30 million dollars every year.
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That's 0.12 percent of global
venture capital for early stage companies.
venture capital for early stage companies.
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And public spending is not going up
nearly fast enough.
nearly fast enough.
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And a closer look at it reveals
that water is not a priority.
that water is not a priority.
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In 2014, the US federal government
was spending 11 dollars per citizen
was spending 11 dollars per citizen
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on water infrastructure,
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versus 251 dollars on IT infrastructure.
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So when we don't use the data we have,
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we don't encourage investment
in new technologies,
in new technologies,
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we don't encourage more data collection
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and we certainly don't encourage
investment in securing a water future.
investment in securing a water future.
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So are we doomed?
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Part of what I'm still learning
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is how to balance the doom
and the urgency with things we can do,
and the urgency with things we can do,
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because Greta Thunberg
and the Extinction Rebellion
and the Extinction Rebellion
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don't want our hope --
they want us to act.
they want us to act.
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So what can we do?
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It's hard to imagine life
without a weather service,
without a weather service,
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but before modern weather forecasting,
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we had no commercial air travel,
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it was common for ships to be lost at sea,
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and a single storm could produce
a food shortage.
a food shortage.
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Once we had radio and telegraph networks,
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all that was necessary
to solve these problems
to solve these problems
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was tracking the movement of storms.
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And that laid the foundation
for a global data collection effort,
for a global data collection effort,
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one that every household
and every business depends upon today.
and every business depends upon today.
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And this was as much the result of
coordinated and consistent data collection
coordinated and consistent data collection
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as it was the result of producing
a culture that saw greater value
a culture that saw greater value
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in openly assessing and sharing everything
that it could find out and discover
that it could find out and discover
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about the risks we face.
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A global weather service for water
would help us forecast water shortages.
would help us forecast water shortages.
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It could help us implement rationing
well before reservoirs run dry.
well before reservoirs run dry.
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It could help us detect
contamination before it spreads.
contamination before it spreads.
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It could protect our supply chains,
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secure our food supplies,
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and, perhaps most importantly,
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it would enable
the precise estimation of risk
the precise estimation of risk
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necessary to ensure against it.
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We know we can do this because
we've already done it with weather.
we've already done it with weather.
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But it's going to require resources.
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We need to encourage
greater investment in water.
greater investment in water.
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Investors, venture capitalists:
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a portion of your funds and portfolios
should be dedicated to water.
should be dedicated to water.
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Nothing is more valuable
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and, after all, businesses are going
to need to understand water risks
to need to understand water risks
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in order to remain competitive
in the world we are entering.
in the world we are entering.
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Aside from venture capital,
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there are also lots of promising
government programs
government programs
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that encourage economic development
through tax incentives.
through tax incentives.
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A new option in the US
that my company is using
that my company is using
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is called "opportunity zones."
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They offer favorable tax treatment
for investing capital gains
for investing capital gains
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in designated distressed
and low-income areas.
and low-income areas.
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Now, these are areas
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that are also facing
staggering water risk,
staggering water risk,
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so this creates crucial incentives
to work directly with the communities
to work directly with the communities
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who need help most.
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And if you're not looking
to make this type of investment
to make this type of investment
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but you own land in the US,
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did you know that
you can leverage your land
you can leverage your land
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to conserve water quality permanently
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with a conservation easement?
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You can assign the perpetual right
to a local land trust
to a local land trust
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to conserve your land
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and set specific water quality goals.
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And if you meet those goals,
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you can be rewarded with
a substantial tax discount every year.
a substantial tax discount every year.
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How many areas could
our global community protect
our global community protect
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through these and other programs?
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They're powerful because they offer
the access to real property
the access to real property
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necessary to lay the foundation
for a global weather service for water.
for a global weather service for water.
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But this can only work if we use
these programs as they are intended
these programs as they are intended
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and not as mere vehicles for tax evasion.
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When the conservation easement
was established,
was established,
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nobody could anticipate how ingrained
in environmental movements
in environmental movements
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corporate polluters would become.
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And we've become accustomed to companies
talking about the climate crisis
talking about the climate crisis
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while doing nothing about it.
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This has undermined the legacy
and the impact of these programs,
and the impact of these programs,
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but it also makes them
ripe for reclamation.
ripe for reclamation.
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Why not use conservation easements
as they were intended,
as they were intended,
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to set and reach
ambitious conservation goals?
ambitious conservation goals?
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Why not create opportunities
in opportunity zones?
in opportunity zones?
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Because fundamentally,
water security requires accountability.
water security requires accountability.
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Accountability is not corporate polluters
sponsoring environmental groups
sponsoring environmental groups
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and museums.
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Those are conflicts of interest.
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(Applause)
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Accountability is:
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making the risk of liability too expensive
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to continue polluting
and wasting our water.
and wasting our water.
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We can't keep settling for words.
It's time to act.
It's time to act.
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And where better to start
than with our biggest polluters,
than with our biggest polluters,
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particularly the US Department
of Defense, which is taxpayer-funded.
of Defense, which is taxpayer-funded.
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Who and what are we protecting
when US soldiers, their families
when US soldiers, their families
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and the people who live near
US military bases abroad
US military bases abroad
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are all drinking toxic water?
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Global security can no longer remain
at odds with protecting our planet
at odds with protecting our planet
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or our collective health.
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Our survival depends on it.
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Similarly,
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agriculture in most countries
depends on taxpayer-funded subsidies
depends on taxpayer-funded subsidies
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that are paid to farmers to secure
and stabilize food supplies.
and stabilize food supplies.
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These incentives are
a crucial leverage point for us,
a crucial leverage point for us,
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because agriculture is responsible
for consuming 70 percent
for consuming 70 percent
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of all the water we use every year.
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Fertilizer and pesticide runoff
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are the two biggest sources
of water pollution.
of water pollution.
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Let's restructure these subsidies
to demand better water efficiency
to demand better water efficiency
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and less pollution.
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(Applause)
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Finally:
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we can't expect progress
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if we're unwilling to confront
the conflicts of interest
the conflicts of interest
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that suppress science,
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that undermine innovation
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and that discourage transparency.
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It is in the public interest
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to measure and to share everything
we can learn and discover
we can learn and discover
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about the risks we face in water.
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Reality does not exist
until it's measured.
until it's measured.
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It doesn't just take
technology to measure it.
technology to measure it.
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It takes our collective will.
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Thank you.
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(Applause)
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ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Sonaar Luthra -Sonaar Luthra is the creator of Water Canary, a water-testing device that collects real-time water-quality data from the field.
Why you should listen
Sonaar Luthra was a writer and educator when he enrolled in NYU's famed Interactive Telecommunications Program (ITP) -- a breeding ground for cross-disciplinary thinking. He tells the TED Blog what happened next:
"I wanted to come up with some way of becoming what I was calling an 'urban planner for the global village.' And ... I fell in love with circuitry and with making tangible objects that had real functionality. Next thing I knew, I found myself in a class called Design for UNICEF, taught by Clay Shirky in association with UNICEF’s Innovations Lab.
"I wanted to see what was possible with water, and I was lucky to have an incredible team and the support of faculty that were willing to take on such a huge challenge. We started off as novices but we all became water experts in the process."
Read the TED Blog's full Q&A with Sonaar Luthra, "Waterwise" >>
Sonaar Luthra | Speaker | TED.com