An environmental issue that concerns and interests me is the world's food and water insecurity. It is concerning to think that so many parts of the world do not have the same access to clean, drinkable water and nutritious food that we take for granted in Western civilization.

My understanding is that food and water insecurity can result from various factors, including geographical location in relation to water sources and adequate soil to grow food, poverty, climate change, and international conflicts like war, genocide, and trade agreements or disagreements. I also understand that the lack of nutritious food and drinkable water presents various challenges for affected populations, including malnutrition, health issues, and developmental delay.

This issue interests me because I question why we have not taken more significant measures to ensure that everyone has consistent and affordable access to clean water and nutritious food if humans know that healthy food and water are required to survive and thrive. I can only assume that this is partly because when issues like this occur in Western civilization, they seem to be taken more seriously, and more action is taken to stop them. I believe that, in general, our society often operates with an "out of sight, out of mind" perspective, which I think can be, at times, both a consciously and unconsciously held perspective for many.

I am interested in learning about what it would take logistically on an international level to ensure that all humans have access to clean water and nutritious food and about what barriers currently exist that are preventing that from happening. I am also interested in this issue from a national perspective. I know that lack of access to clean water and nutritious food can impact communities in Western societies as well, and I want to learn more about why, in the same city with the same environmental resources, one community would be experiencing food and water insecurity while an adjacent community would not be. I worry about what the world will look like for future generations if the appropriate measures are not taken to make water and food sustainable and accessible.