One stark reality of climate change is drought. It can be deadly and history reminds us that it annihilated powerful civilizations including the Akkadian, Moche, Tiwaniku, Mayan and Pueblo peoples.

Australia is beginning its 11th year of drought. Water rationing for homes and businesses is a reality. The government has given each household waterproof timers and recommends four-minute showers.

Northern China and Inner Mongolia are entering their fifth year of drought and last summer five million people were without water and nine million hectares of cropland failed.

Fresh water for farming and hydroelectric power is also being used as a geopolitical tool, such as in Afghanistan.

India is using water from two Afghan rivers that flow into the volatile Pakistan border region, where water shortages have been implicated in fuelling local insurgencies.

Pakistan is insisting India is using water as a weapon against them.

Drought has also significantly cut the flow of fresh water into a dam in Venezuela which feeds three hydroelectric plants that supply 73 per cent of that country’s electricity. Venezuelans are faced with rolling four-hour blackouts every other day as the oil rich country endeavours to contend with less fresh water.

In North America, California is entering its fourth year of drought. Tree rings from the ancient bristle cone pines living at 3,400 metres above sea level on the White Mountains in east-central California tell climate scientists that the state is coming out of the third- or fourth-wettest century in the past 4,000 years.

California is currently floating an $11-billion bond to secure fresh water for over 38 million denizens, the eighth mightiest economy on the globe and the most intensive agriculture system on Earth.

One stop-gap measure that so far has helped reduce urban water consumption has been to raise the water usage rates. Increasing rates almost 40 per cent has saved over 150 billion litres of water since July 2007.

Farmers are turning to technology to help guide them through these dry times. Micro sensors in the field and drip irrigation, which feeds water directly to the root zone, are connected to a telephone allowing farmers to get real-time information and adjust water usage.

Interestingly, crop scientists have shown farmers that by cutting back on water for navel oranges and pistachios, they are able to produce sweeter, denser, crisper and higher market value fruits and nuts.

California wineries are also changing with the times, seizing opportunities to save water and make money, entering into organic and eco-friendly wines.

At the end of the day, if each of us lends a helping hand and conserves water, we can eliminate the risk of Benjamin Franklin’s warning:-

“When the well is dry, we know the worth of water."