¶Since April, France has experienced a rainfall deficit and several unprecedented heatwaves, creating the conditions for a rare and alarming drought. On Friday, August 7, 99 departments were under surveillance, with possible water use restrictions, including 67 considered to be in a “crisis” situation. This widespread drying of soil and waterways has had serious consequences for agriculture, the economy and public health, and has been directly linked to an increase in wildfires.

¶This is not a temporary crisis, but rather the result of a slow deterioration of our water resources, which deserves greater democratic attention, argues Simon Porcher, professor of management sciences at Université Paris-Dauphine-PSL, in his book Nous sommes faits d’eau. L’avenir d’une ressource vitale (“We Are Made of Water: The Future of a Vital Resource”).

¶Well that title certainly caught my eye. “The myth of abundant water.”

¶This year feels like a watershed moment in climate change, in a bad way. Recent weather around the globe, from the droughts in France and elsewhere, to wildfires in the United States and Canada (and France), has, unfortunately, brought direct consequences of climate change to the doorsteps of more people. We had several days of record low air quality in Toledo this summer.

¶Water and air. Impacts on those two basic human needs should open more eyes to the problems and challenges of climate change. Direct and personal consequences tend to do that. So, in a weird way, this year also provides a source of hope.

¶Most of Puerto Rico is facing moderate to severe drought conditions, according to the US Drought Monitor, which has been compounded by long-term issues with the island’s infrastructure.

¶Puerto Rico’s water authority says about 65% of the water it produces is lost or goes unbilled, much of it through leaks and ageing pipes, according to the BBC’s US news partner CBS.

¶“[D]rought conditions…compounded by long-term issues with…infrastructure.”

¶I bet we’ll see that phrase over and over again in coming years. It’s like two things we’ve ignored for decades — climate change and infrastructure investment — are conspiring against us. No, conspiring is the wrong word. There’s no conspiracy about it. It’s just that the effects of those two things are arriving, just as some people have been saying for years.