The process of desalination has been around for centuries, but has had only limited success in providing freshwater for humans. The EU is exploring ways to make it a viable solution to future water shortages.
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00:00Desalination is the process of removing salt from seawater. It's seen as a drought-proof
00:11alternative to water supplies threatened by climate change. Several southern EU countries
00:16rely on it to provide fresh water for drinking and agriculture. But desalination plants are
00:22expensive to build and run and use a lot of energy, although new technologies are reducing
00:28costs and the environmental impact. They can also have an adverse environmental impact
00:33on marine animals and plants. Desalination produces a by-product called brine, a concentrated
00:39salt solution with chemicals. When discharged back into the sea, it can harm fish, coral
00:44and plankton. Many consider desalination as a last resort, only to be used once all other
00:50options such as reusing wastewater and reducing leaks have been tried. But while the technology
00:56has significant drawbacks, without it, some EU regions would not be able to meet their
01:01water demands.