President-elect Trump's obsession with water isn't new. His previous administration was marked by passionate complaints about water pressure, particularly in shower-heads where he famously lamented, "you can't wash your beautiful hair properly" [1]. His administration even attempted to ease water efficiency requirements for shower-heads after multiple personal grievances [2], transforming his personal pet peeve into actual policy proposals [3]. While these domestic water efficiency regulations were later reversed [4], his fixation on water has now expanded to a grander scale, eyeing some of the world's most significant water resources.
Similar to America’s 1867 Alaska Purchase from Russia, aka Seward’s Folly, Trump has revived his interest in expanding U.S. territory, with particular attention to water-rich regions of Canada, Greenland and Panama [5]. His administration's geopolitical ambitions blend historical patterns of U.S. territorial expansion with an unprecedented focus on controlling vital water resources [6].
Greenland, with its massive ice sheet containing 10% of Earth's freshwater [7], represents not just a theoretical asset but an actively commercializing one. As climate change accelerates ice melt for the 26th consecutive year [8], entrepreneurs are already banking and storing this meltwater to mitigate both sea level rise and global water scarcity [9]. For example, Project Greenland has begun collecting meltwater and exporting this "super premium water" to water-stressed regions, with the capacity to option up to 17 trillion liters [10]. At current bottled water market prices, this frozen fortune could be worth trillions - enough to make Mexico paying for a wall look like pocket change.
The Panama Canal, where each ship passage requires about 52 million gallons of freshwater, facilitates roughly $270 billion in annual trade with approximately 14,000 vessels passing through annually. In this calculation, each gallon helps convey $2.70 worth of trade. Controlling this crucial waterway would be like having a toll booth on the world's most expensive water slide.
Our Canadian neighbors to the north, with their vast network of rivers carrying about 7% of the world's renewable freshwater supply, much more than the U.S., have frustratingly enacted laws preventing water exports to the U.S. But as the 51st state, those pesky regulations would dissolve faster than an ice cube at Mar-a-Lago. Combined, Canada and the U.S. would become the world’s second largest water superpower, surpassing Russia and behind only Brazil.
Trump's audacious hydro-acquisition strategy returns to 18th and 19th century territorial expansionism. After all, who needs multinational trade agreements when you can just invade [11] - er, I mean, "acquire" - the world's most precious resource? Rather, let's hope that the new administration safeguards sustainable water resources by mitigating climate change. Make America Wetter Again? We aren't going back.
🌐 Sources
kuscholarworks.ku.edu - We Alone Can Fix It: Donald Trump's Campaign Rallies and ...
merriam-webster.com - Invade Definition & Meaning
forbes.com - Here's When The U.S. Acquired Its Territories—And How ...
congress.gov - Congressional Record Vol. 163, No. 20 (Senate - February ...
dictionary.cambridge.org - INVADE | definition in the Cambridge English Dictionary
gisreportsonline.com - Greenland, U.S. expansion and Donald Trump
Gleick, Peter H.. The World’s Water, Volume 7. . Data Table 1. (2012)
Anthropic. (2025). Claude 3.5 Sonnet [Large language model]. https://www.anthropic.com/
Portfolio Updates:
As 2025 kicks off, I’m excited to share that Echo River’s portfolio has hit the ground running! From prestigious awards and transformative partnerships to groundbreaking advancements, these successes underscore the growing impact of technological innovation in addressing global water challenges. Keep reading to learn how these trailblazers are shaping a more sustainable future!
Starting off strong, congratulations to Hohonu and Open Hydro for being included in the prestigious 2024 Diamond List, a curated selection of the most promising early-stage climate companies. This year’s list featured more stringent criteria and an exceptional pool of nominees, making both Hohonu and Open Hydro’s recognition even more noteworthy!
Hohonu’s CEO Brian Glazer shared a forward-looking piece in Undark Magazine about leveraging public-private partnerships, local knowledge, and enhanced sensor networks to better predict and mitigate storm impacts.
It’s been a big month for Open Hydro!
Women Tech EU Award: Open Hydro has been selected for this prestigious EU initiative supporting women-led deep-tech startups. The program officially kicks off in February 2025.
Open Hydro has also been recognised as a finalist for the Game Changer Category of the SeedLegals Startup Award, underscoring their potential to revolutionise the water industry through innovation and disruption.
Open Hydro is gearing up to showcase its innovations at the World Water Tech Innovation Summit in London, February 25–26. Make sure to register here to attend Open Hydro’s pitch along with countless other impressive speakers and start-ups.
SWAN Systems has entered an exciting partnership with Smart Soil Agricultural Technologies in Turkey. This collaboration combines SWAN's advanced irrigation technology with Smart Soil's local expertise to empower Turkish growers to optimize resource use, increase efficiency, and maximize crop yields. Together, they’re shaping a more sustainable future for agriculture in Turkey. Way to go SWAN Systems!
Verdi is celebrating a major achievement as the recipient of the 2024 WINnovation Award, recognizing their groundbreaking work in making irrigation automation accessible to farmers.
Verdi’s innovative approach addresses critical challenges like water scarcity, rising costs, and labor shortages, offering an affordable, user-friendly, and effective solution.
Waterplan has partnered with Procter & Gamble (P&G) to enhance water stewardship project management across various facilities. Using Waterplan’s SaaS platform, P&G has:
Consolidated and centralized water project information
Improved collaboration with stakeholders
Enhanced transparency in reporting
Tracked progress against water targets
This collaboration highlights how technology can accelerate water stewardship on a corporate scale.
Aclarity marked a significant milestone this month with the opening of their brand-new Headquarters and Innovation Center in Medway, MA. Aclarity was also named the the Global Cleantech 100. Congratulations Aclarity!
Kairospace Technologies Inc., in partnership with Perigo Co., LLC, has unveiled new scale-up injectors that are transforming water treatment! These cutting-edge systems can treat any volume of water efficiently, boosting dissolved oxygen and enabling sustainable water reuse for crop irrigation. Congrats on this groundbreaking innovation
Industry updates:
Acciona, a Spanish company specializing in sustainable solutions, will construct a seawater desalination plant in Dana Point, California. This development will enhance water security for 600,000 residents in South Orange County, who currently depend on imported water from the Colorado River.
Improved water security is coming to the Sunshine Coast after the Canadian federal government invested CAD 117 million (~USD 81 million) in water security.
“These investments are a prime example of how strong partnerships coupled with the implementation of innovative solutions can ensure a sustainable future for the Colorado River,” - Reclamation Commissioner Camille Calimlim Touton
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