In 1992, the United Nations (UN) designated March 22 as “Water World Day.” Since this lady who is writing to you was unable to celebrate the date as a result of an infection, I’m posting my tribute to this precious liquid today. It is the origin of life—find out why.

Friends, colleagues, future acquaintances, anyone… It’s common to have people asking questions about science and the environment. Because I’m closely related to Hélio Nóbile Diniz, hydrogeologist—a scientist who specializes in water—the questions about the liquid are the most frequent ones.

So, I’ve selected the three most popular questions. They were answered by the researcher. Get ready:

1. Is it true that we will run out of drinking water soon?

No. Drinking water results from the evaporation of sea water. As long as this evaporation continues to occur, we will have drinking water. By the way, it is worth emphasizing one detail regarding pollution. What saves the Earth from a water shortage is salt present in the sea. The sea water is a solution with an electric charge, dissolved ions and free electrons… They can react against pollutants, absorbing or dissolving them. If the sea water were not salty, I agree that we would face a shortage of the liquid.

2. What’s the country with the highest concentration of fresh water in the world?
Canada has 50% of the world’s fresh water due to its lakes, rivers, and glaciers. Brazil is in second place, with 14%.

3. Will water cost more than oil in a near future?
Once again, no. Water is very abundant while oil is a rare liquid. Now, about the issue of countries engaging in a war due to a shortage of water… I believe that wars are something that doesn’t make any sense. We can and should solve issues through diplomacy.

Note: The photo above was taken at a fantasy island, Ibiza. I can’t recall by whom: myself or my friend Natália Takashiro. By the way, the UN has drafted the “Universal Declaration on Water Rights.” It’s short, read it here.