Instant Genius Podcast: Global heatwave - could our taps soon run dry?

Instant Genius Podcast: Global heatwave - could our taps soon run dry?

'Day Zero' could be nigh across the globe, according to leading scientists.

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Published: July 21, 2023 at 7:54 am

Last month saw thehottest June on record – and, while July has seen heavy downpours in the UK, much of Europe and the US experienced life-threatening heatwaves.

As things heat up, aquifers shrivel – and London’s 90-day supply of water means the city is never far from its taps running dry. That’s Day Zero: a benchmark that several cities around the world have come alarmingly close to – or, in some cases, even reached – in the last decade. But what happens when that day comes?

In today’s episode, we speak to Professor Priti Parikh, infrastructure engineer at University College London, about the looming threat of Day Zero and how household tricks and national innovations can offer promising solutions.

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