“This is the world’s most precious resource. We need to control as much of it as we can.” So says the villain of the 2008 James Bond film, Quantum of Solace. He’s talking about the freshwater he’s now controlling in Bolivia, forcing the government and general public to do his bidding. (Oops — spoiler alert! For a nearly decade-old movie, guys.) Hoarding fresh water is a great way for villains to control a populace, to such a degree that water is also a key element in Mad Max: Fury Road, as it’s used by the despot, Immortan Joe (what. a. name.) as a means of ruling over his dehydrated, ill people and making them weak and pliable to his demands.
Both were taking their diabolical inspiration from the real world. As more of the earth’s ecosystems are damaged and water pollution increases, freshwater becomes more of a premium resource, and it’s one that every last person needs for survival. At the time Quantum of Solace was released, the World Health Organization reported that worldwide, more than a billion people did not have access to clean water. Which is frightening, because healthy drinking water is a basic tenet of good health. Without it, humans can’t survive, which makes water scarcity a looming problem as more and more of global water becomes non-potable.
Sixty percent of the earth’s surface is comprised of water, so at first blush, it sounds like humanity has water in abundance. But humans can’t drink a majority of that water. The problem is that most of it is salinated seawater, which dehydrates human beings. That leaves us with the freshwater supply, and at least so far, it’s controlled mostly by local governments and municipalities, not monstrous dystopian dictators with a penchant for gas masks.
But because our water is impacted by such a variety of elements, it begs the question: how clean or healthy is the water we’re drinking? And can we pull hydration inspo from Hollywood’s biggest villains?
But because our water is impacted by such a variety of elements, it begs the question: how clean or healthy is the water we’re drinking? And can we pull hydration inspo from Hollywood’s biggest villains?
GOES TOGETHER LIKE WATER AND POPCORN
Nothing quenches the thirst that follows eating popcorn and pretzels quite like water. But almost as important as
quenching that thirst is knowing what’s going into our water — as well as what we can take out.
There’s a common misconception that humans can only last four days without water. It’s what gives the trailer for the Avengers: Endgame so much gravity (Thor, Captain Marvel, anyone, please go save Iron Man).
But in reality, it’s actually disputed precisely how long humans can live without water. Live Science reports it falls into a range that depends on how hot your environment is, your age, and how physically active you are. Basically, the more you sweat, the faster you’ll dehydrate.
Which is why it’s so important to stay hydrated and drink tons of water, even as the most dramatic scenes are unfolding. But how much should we stick to?
It turns out the age-old wisdom that everyone should drink eight glasses of water a day was actually a guideline and not a cold hard truth. Drinking plenty of water has clear health impacts, though. It aids in digestion, helps regulate metabolism, promotes healthy liver function so our bodies can push out toxins, and even helps folks have clearer skin and better overall health. According to WebMD, drinking more water even helps with calorie intake! So you can snack guilt-free (well, at least, a little) no matter what scene is happening.
There are also a ton of other ways people can get their hydration. For one, many foods contain large amounts of water — think fruits like watermelon and veggies like cucumbers — that also help hydrate us. Contrary to popular belief, even tea and coffee help hydrate you (though, of course, their caffeine may simultaneously drain your water reserves). And if anyone gets desperate or finds themselves very suddenly in the dystopian future, you can make like Kevin Costner in Waterworld and filter the water out of your own, uh, ahem, bodily fluids.
Eco-Friendly, Clean Water Your Body Needs
But whether you get your water plain or through other beverages and foods, it’s more reassuring when we know that the water we’re pouring into (and over) our bodies doesn’t contain frightening chemicals or even heavy metals picked up naturally from the environment. One thing people can do to ensure higher water quality is to drink filtered water. If you find your tap or well water has a strange odor or taste, is cloudy or has high “turbidity” (literally that means there are particles floating in it), in-home filtering will help remove many of those undesirable qualities. It also saves massively on disposable water bottles and is more trustworthy than those resold pitcher filters you see on infomercials. But don’t listen to me, listen to Immortan Joe:
Population Expansion? No problem.
They say to leave a place better than you found it. As of this writing, the Earth has 7.53 Billion humans alive, right now. The entire planet didn’t reach it’s first one billion people until 1800, and it’s estimated that there will be 9.3 billion by 2050. But 7.53 Billion people? That is bananas. That’s more than there are types of beetles in the world (350,000 types), as tall as 5,178,817 Empire State Buildings (if one person counted for each foot), and as deep as 684,919 Mariana Trenches (if, again, one person counted per meter). According to the Population Reference Bureau (PRB), it’s estimated that there have been 108 Billion people born, ever. That means that “those of us currently alive represent about 7 percent of the total number of humans who have ever lived.”
All of this is exactly the whole reason why Matthew McConaughey ends up on an all-water planet in Interstellar, as he and the crew try to save a human race dealing with a scarce amount of resources:
Yikes. That’s precisely why you should always look for the most environmentally-friendly and healthiest ways to get the cleanest water to your whole family. Clean drinking water is the source of all life, keeps populations growing at healthy paces, and functions as epicenters for city’s to bloom, commerce to propagate, and trade to, well, trade.
Covering your whole home with a filter helps protect you and your family from the outset, so you can drink, shower, cook and know that you’re washing dishes with the cleanest, contaminant-free water. But if you’re just looking to try something out first, our Claryum® 3-Stage filters are certified to NSF Standards 42, 53, and 401, making it easy to reduce more than 99% of chlorine and chloramines in your household, so you can drink (and watch the latest blockbuster!) with confidence.
