How will we power our future? Can we create a healthy and clean economy? Climate One at the Commonwealth Club is at the forefront of the global debate about energy, economy, and the environment. Bringing together the brightest and most provocative leaders of our time, Climate One is the place where big ideas get heard. With thoughtful and insightful discussions on policy, business, science, and culture, Climate One founder Greg Dalton gets to the heart of the matter. It's our future. It's time to come together.

Welcome to Climate One, changing the conversation about America's energy, economy, and environment. I'm Greg Dalton.

Today we're discussing the future of water in a hot

and crowded world. Scientists tell us that burning fossil fuels will disrupt local climates and deliver

water whiplash. Too much water at times, not enough water at others. The wets will get wetter

and the dries will get drier. Over the next hour, we'll discuss water around the world

and here in California. What can average citizens do to use water more wisely? What can governments

do to promote more efficient use of this life-giving resource? Joining our live audience here at the

Commonwealth Club in San Francisco, we're pleased to have with us three water experts. Peter Glick is president and co-founder

of the Pacific Institute, a water think tank, an author of the World's Water, one of the definitive

books on water. Brian Richter is chief scientist of the water resource global freshwater program

at the Nature Conservancy, an author of Chasing Water,

a guide for moving from scarcity to sustainability.

And Brooke Barton is Director of Water Program of the Water Program at Series.

It's an investor activism group on sustainability.

Please welcome them to Climate One. I'd like to begin by asking you briefly by way of introduction to tell us how you got into water as a profession.

Brooke Barton, how did you get into water?

I mean, we all came from water way back.

Well, I guess my first sort of formative experience with thinking about water scarcity was growing up in New Mexico.

I grew up in Carlsbad, New Mexico, which is a ranching area, which is an oil and gas area, and now is very much at the center of hydraulic fracturing in New Mexico.

And really, we had a beautiful river.

We have a beautiful river running through my hometown.

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