With glaciers melting, sea levels rising, and overuse diminishing water resources across Asia, fair distribution of water is increasingly difficult. Political solutions do exist. Case in point, India and Pakistan still abide by the Indus Waters Treaty that was signed in 1960. But water still defines the conflict between the two nations. [...]

With glaciers melting, sea levels rising, and overuse diminishing water resources across Asia, fair distribution of water is increasingly difficult. Political solutions do exist. Case in point, India and Pakistan still abide by the Indus Waters Treaty that was signed in 1960. But water still defines the conflict between the two nations. Some Pakistanis perceive that the effort to depoliticize water distribution is an underhanded way to delegitimize their claim to Kashmir. Further complicating the matter, the Indus River’s flow is as unpredictable as it is necessary.

In northwest China, where desertification is sweeping across the land, abandoned cities lie as evidence of past irresponsible water use. In Bangladesh, they have the opposite problem—too much water. A local architect has constructed school boats to serve children whose schools are flooding with increasing regularity. Adaptation is expensive, particularly for developing countries, but international negotiations focus primarily on the future, not on the consequences being felt now.