The name ‘Blue Planet’ was given to Earth following the first views of it from space, reflecting the exceptional presence of water on its surface, a vital resource for ecosystems and human societies. But the state of this resource, particularly freshwater, has taken a dramatic turn, described as a ‘global water Bankruptcy’ in a report recently published by the United Nations University (Madani, 2026). Over the last fifty years, the majority of the world’s large lakes have seen their surface area decrease, a third of rivers have suffered significant reductions in flow, 35% of wetlands have disappeared, glacier mass has decreased by nearly 30%, almost 70% of the world’s aquifers are declining, and in many regions the quality of available water is deteriorating due to pollution or salinization. The consequences are catastrophic for biodiversity, with, for example, a reduction of nearly 75% in aquatic ecosystem populations. They are also catastrophic for human populations: around 2.2 billion people still lack access to safe drinking water, nearly 4 billion experience water shortages for at least one month each year, and conflicts over water are multiplying worldwide, as documented by the Pacific Institute’s Observatory. In France, ‘water battles’ are also in the news, in Poitou over the Sainte-Soline reservoir, and in Brittany over the preservation of catchment areas. How can we explain such rapid degradation of this resource? What solutions and innovations are needed to maintain the habitability of our ‘blue planet’?

Growing Human Pressure

At the root of this pressure on the planet’s water resources lies an economic development model that fails to ensure the replenishment of one of its vital resources. On the one hand, demographic, economic and urban growth leads to an increase in demand for fresh water, for domestic, industrial, agricultural, energy and even recreational uses. To address this, the mainstream focus is on building new infrastructure, equipment and distribution networks to guarantee a sufficient supply for unchanged uses. These choices lead to a lack of consideration for water uses, their location and their interactions within a circular economy. Furthermore, climate change, a consequence of this same development model, exacerbates the pressure on water resources (Ollat, Touzard, 2024). Rising temperatures lead to increased water consumption by plants, animals and humans, as well as greater evaporation from soils and surface waters, and higher demands from industrial and energy-related activities. Changes in the spatial and temporal distribution of rainfall, rising sea levels and the increase in extreme weather events are rising risks to human activities, altering water circulation within regions and thus its distribution, and ultimately its availability where current uses require it. These changes reinforce each other and exacerbate tensions in access to water, generating significant geographical and social inequalities worldwide.

Innovating For a Common, Circulating, And Cross-Sectoral Good

This historical context of major tensions in access to water resources also stimulates the search for solutions and innovations. Although the issue is global and calls into question the habitability of our planet, a better alignment of water use with local contexts and the real needs of communities could reduce the pressure. Water management is a specific area of innovation: water must first be regarded as a common good, access to which is both a “fundamental right indispensable to the full enjoyment of the right to life and all human rights” (United Nations, 2010), and subject to competition between its various uses. As a common good, water is an area of innovation where technical and organisational solutions are closely linked to institutional choices, political issues (prioritisation between sectors and uses) and social justice. Water is also a resource that circulates across the planet in various states (gaseous, liquid, or even solid), in different environments (surface, subsurface, atmosphere) and with varying characteristics in terms of its quality and accessibility to populations. This circulation creates interdependencies between uses that shape the effectiveness of innovations. For example, an innovation in wastewater reuse may promote the development of a circular economy, with downstream innovations in irrigation and upstream innovations in domestic uses. It may also contribute to the drying up of watercourses if it merely increases consumption, in the absence of appropriate rules resulting from necessary consultation. This water cycle has a territorial dimension, as innovations must take into account the local characteristics of a hydrosystem, as well as the economic, political and cultural specificities of each territory. Finally, the availability and quality of water also impact ecosystems and thus the conservation of biodiversity. Innovation in water management is multi-sectoral, driven not only by water policies but also by agricultural, energy, health, industrial and environmental policies.