Climate problems have been increasing day by day; therefore, scientists and environmentalists highlight that humanity should take precautions before being too late. Each world resource has a massive contribution to the unique order of the world in itself. However, water may be the most fundamental element for almost all living species lives. Campaigns are being held, politicians are trying to sign international agreements, we personally talk about our responsibilities, but the truth is that millions of children and adults die from water problems each year. UN estimated that 1.8 million people would be living in the water-stress territory by 2025. Netflix's latest documentary Brave Blue World takes the water issue from a different perspective.
My previous documentary reviews were about renewable energy, state-based international agreements, political decisions, and individual actions to contribute to reducing environmental breakdown. The distinguishing feature of this dıcumentary is that not focusing on water problems, neither individual nor global aspect. It approaches the water issue as a local environment by talking about the most fundamental problem, sanitation. When we look at the issue from a local aspect, there are various examples of developing countries' solution. In 2019, a million children a year under the age of five died because of lack of access to safe water.
When the documentary looked at the topic from a local point, the solutions become very simple. When the aim is focusing on locally appropriate alternatives, the intention is to find global problems to local solutions, which should be safer, cost-effective, and more environment friendly. Therefore, each solution proposal is developed with simple but effective methods for the problem of that region. It can be a simple machine to imitate nature called biomimicry. Moreover, it can be a system to deliver the filtered water, or it can be a solution to turn wastewater into an energy that can be used instead of coal. These are the solutions that foundations or local residents try to apply their specific region. All these examples are strikingly featured in the documentary.
Safe water and sanitation do not only about developing countries problem, but it is also a problem that requires a solution in developed countries. However, local problems are not only issues that need to be solved through individuals or foundations, brands can also take them. In Mexico, the world's leading cosmetics brand uses the concept of the dry factory to reduce wastewater. The dry factory is a new concept to deal with water pollution, reducing water waste, and reducing water needs. Dry factory as a term used for consumption of products and human consumption that depends on water consumption only depends on human needs such as coffee water or the water in the industrial processes. 100% of the water usage provided by city water, but 100% of the water needs for an industrial process is covered by the reuse of the treated and recycled water. Especially, many companies around the world establish their factories in different corners of the world for various reasons such as inexpensive labor and cheap raw materials. However, factories established in regions with water shortages such as Mexico have extra negative effects on the region's water problem.
Dry factories can be established and operated in the whole world, but it takes time, money, and determination. However, when companies prioritize water scarcity regions, it reduces the negative impact on the area where already have serious problems. This factory structure that emerged with Mexico continued with Spain, Russia, and Italy. Establishment and operation in a dry factory can reduce the global water consumption in manufacturing, which is spent in production and cannot be reused by 90%. Not only cosmetic brands but also dyeing, chemical, textile, and other factories can apply the process of reducing and reuse water consumption and become industrial environment friendly. In the local areas, water efficiency is not enough to solve the water waste problem; it should reduce the water that they cannot reuse, reduce water requirements, recycle water, and then it is necessary to perform these steps over and over again.
Climate change, renewable energy, and water crisis problems are fundamental and crucial topics in today's world. In the previous few decades, even though the world has grown worse as climate problems, there has been just as much progress in technology and information dissemination. In this context, countries that even do not have internet, developing and developed countries that have opportunities but have not been able to restrict water use, also have the same problem at the end of the day. The contents we read and watch on this subject generally offer us solutions with high budgets and at the level of governments. However, in this documentary, we see various solution examples in different budgets from different corners of the world; therefore, it can be beneficial to gain inspiration from different directions.