Today we’re talking about desalination: turning saltwater into freshwater, so we can drink it or use it to grow crops. And we’re talking about this because, in many parts of the world, freshwater is getting harder to come by. So… is converting saltwater a good solution? Our guest Prof. John Leinhard has devoted his whole career to this question—and its relationship with climate change.

For a deeper dive and additional resources related to this episode, visit: https://climate.mit.edu/podcasts/e4-can-desalination-solve-water-scarcity

For more episodes of TILclimate by the MIT Environmental Solutions Initiative, visit tilclimate.mit.edu.

Credits

Laur Hesse Fisher, Host and Producer

David Lishansky, Editor and Producer

Aaron Krol, Scriptwriter and Associate Producer

Ilana Hirschfeld, Production Assistant

Sylvia Scharf, Education Specialist

Michelle Harris, Fact Checker

Music by Blue Dot Sessions

Artwork by Aaron Krol

Can desalination solve water scarcity?