In order to visualize this situation, we need to take a closer look at water. We drink between two and three liters of water every day. A person living in an OECD country uses between 120 and 150 liters of water for cooking, showering, and washing every day. But most of the water we use is in our food. This means an average person actually uses between 2,500 and 5,000 liters of water per day, depending on his or her appetite for meat. This “virtual water consumption” takes place on our dining tables. We also have to consider how much water we actually use. Whereas very little of the water we use for drinking, cooking, and showering evaporates, plants consume water through evapotranspiration. This means that we don’t save any water if we only take quick 30-second showers, because very little water evaporates during this time. Our breakfast bacon has more serious consequences, because the feed we cultivate for farmed animals requires huge amounts of water. As a result, the water crisis is an agricultural issue. About 99 percent of our water resources are consumed by the plants we use to produce food for ourselves and our farmed animals. That’s why countries with a large agricultural sector are especially prone to conflicts. Many analysts believe that water is the new oil. Are they right?