In the 21st century the demands on the earth's water supplies have reached critical levels. In 2002, the world consumed 3 trillion gallons of freshwater every day, a sevenfold increase, and more than doubled the increase in population, in less than a century. The pressures of overpopulation, poor management and climate change are pushing our water reserves to - and beyond - their limits. Building the Future: The Quest for Water travels the world to reveal the remarkable ways we harness water from both past and present and how perhaps, more than any other, we must find new ways to protect and develop this vital natural resource if we are to survive the future.