b'HOUSING, INFRASTRUCTURE, EMERGENCY SERVICESWater and NationhoodRestoring kinship in the midst of the climate crisisBy Caleb Z. BehnV irtually all of the consequences ofWater is life. Too much or not enough is this broken water cycle will worsendeath. This is true of all living things, with climate change. As rainfalland this is true of our Nations. A Nation intensifies, flood damage will rise.without water is dead or dying. And As droughts worsen, river flows will furtherglobally this fact is creating challenges diminish. As wildfires burn hotter and spreadof a scale and scope unprecedented in farther, runoff filled with sediment and debrishuman history.will threaten drinking water for communities downstream. These kinds of threats areAs stated by the United Nations: Water not hypothetical: In 2017, the costs of U.S.is the primary medium through which we climate- and weather-related disasters totalledwill feel the effects of climate change. Water a record-breaking $306 billion. availability is becoming less predictable in The 20th century was the age of dams,many places, and increased incidences of diversions and depletion, but the 21stflooding threaten to destroy water points century can be the age of replenishment,and sanitation facilities and contaminate the time when we apply our ingenuity towater sources.working with nature rather than againstIn some regions, droughts are exacerbating it. With droughts, floods and wildfireswater scarcity and thereby negatively poised to worsen and spread, investingimpacting peoples health and productivity. in a healthier water cycle may be the bestEnsuring that everyone has access to insurance policy money can buy. 1 sustainable water and sanitation services is a critical climate change mitigation strategy for the years ahead.21 Sandra Postel is director of the Global Water PolicyProject and author of Replenish: The Virtuous Cycle of Water and Prosperity. 2 https://www.unwater.org/water-facts/climate-change/ 86 The Circle Winter Issue 1 2019'