Water is fundamental to life. Water affects us all. But do we talk about water enough to raise awareness of its value? What do we do to accelerate change to solve the water crisis? Are we aware of the various connections that make the water crisis a wicked problem? I am speaking to David Hannah, Professor of Hydrology and UNESCO Chair in Water Sciences at the University of Birmingham. David explains the kind of work he does as a water scientist, we speak about water cycle diagrams and the human impact on the water cycle. We consider how the language we use to talk about water relates to our perception of reality, and how it can help us to become more hopeful. Oh … and there’ll be polar bears, too!

David Hannah is the Director of the Birmingham Institute for Sustainability and Climate Action. He is included in the Reuters list of top 1000 climate scientists.