Samuel Coleridge's famous poem, "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner," featured the memorable line, "Water, water, everywhere, but not a drop to drink."

The new reality in many parts of the world is, there is little water anywhere.

Another scorching summer has left many lands parched and millions of acres burning. Political leaders must finally confront the terrifying reality that access to fresh water is an issue that may result in border disputes or even wars.

Canada could be exposed to the demands of a dried-out United States of America. The drought in the US southwest has continued unabated. Traditional water courses such as the Colorado River are drying up. Reservoirs are at desperately low levels.

The water in Lake Mead, Nevada has never been lower. The lake has seen its traditional shoreline disappear as water levels plummet and the depth decreases. That has exposed old boat wrecks, and the skeletons of long-dead miscreants—possibly people from years ago who displeased Vegas mob bosses.

In Europe, major rivers have fallen so low that shipping by barge is now endangered; river cruises often involve more bus trips than sedate sailing down the Rhine or Danube while sipping a glass of wine.

Parts of Africa are a dustbowl.

It is inevitable that a thirsty America will look north to Canada. That will be a very interesting political problem. Much of the produce Canadians eat and drink comes from California and other US locations. Our export economy is closely tied to US corporations. International border security for Canada depends on US support. Just how strong would our negotiating position be if the American's played desperate hard ball to get access to some of our nation's water?

I have long argued that Canada has two critical advantages in the emerging global economy: First, we have space. A lot of undeveloped land. Trees. Open vistas. With the world's population sprinting toward nine billion, and the exodus of rural populations into urban regions accelerating, green and empty space is going to be a precious commodity.

Second, we are blessed to have a lot of fresh water. In fact, Canada has 20% of the world's fresh water (although just 7% is renewable). As we are seeing now, that is a huge resource for this country.

If global warming continues, and droughts and fires become the norm, will Canada be able to protect and govern our fresh water? Is it just a saleable commodity, or is it a national resource to be protected?

Regardless of that answer, there is an immediate question that we can address: How does our nation become more water-use efficient?

This is where municipalities come into play. We have known for decades that Canada's water and sewer pipes are leaking and inefficient. In most cities, a significant portion of water is wasted. Wasted.

Will that be tolerated in the future?

Towns and cities in Canada have frequently under-invested in the maintenance, repair, and replacement of pipes. They are underground—the public never thinks about them, and frankly does not care (until one day when they can't get drinking water or they can't flush, when the issue becomes a very high priority indeed).

Let's be honest—for years, most Canadian municipalities have under-charged residents for their water use. Because of that, it takes a municipal politician with a lot of courage to support investing the millions of dollars required to update pipes and make their community's water and sewer systems more efficient.

Many industries depend on having a sufficient, reliable source of water for their manufacturing requirements. China, India, and other nations are exploring everything from desalination projects to elaborate canals to move water to where it is needed to towing icebergs.

The situation is sobering. In Singapore, a company called NewBrew now makes a craft beer out of reclaimed sewage.

Holy Cow. This is serious.

Canada remains complacent. One wonders for how much longer.