Can stripping the air of its moisture quench the world’s thirst?

We live in a thirsty world. Each person on Earth needs about 50 L of water each day to meet basic needs, including water for drinking, food preparation, sanitation, and personal hygiene, according to the World Health Organization. Despite the planet’s rich water resources, scientists estimate that 4 billion people—more than half the world’s population—don’t have enough water for at least one month each year, and 500 million of them don’t have enough throughout the entire year. Factor in climate change and a global population expected to reach 10 billion by 2050, and it becomes clear the world is only going to get thirstier. To slake that thirst, scientists and engineers have been searching for solutions to the growing problem of water scarcity. One source of water they’ve been trying to tap is moisture in the air. For one thing, it’s everywhere—even in the desert—so it has the potential to