This topic is a departure from my usual writing, but it’s a weight I’ve been carrying. I make no apologies for that; thinking about our collective humanity is a burden we should all be willing to share.
Oxygen, nutrition, and water. These are the three non-negotiable essentials for human survival. It’s a simple biological fact. So why have we decided that two of them aren’t fundamental human rights?
For the most part, oxygen is free. But if you need a tank to breathe—whether because of chronic illness, disability, or crisis—you’re at the mercy of a costly healthcare system. It’s a stark reminder that survival is increasingly tied to your ability to pay.
Then there’s nutrition. According to the FAO’s Global Report on Food Crises, more than 295 million people worldwide faced acute food insecurity in 2024, the highest number ever recorded, driven by conflict, economic instability, and climate extremes.19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYZh7GDNRMt
Global Report on Food Crises (FAO)
In 2021, the United Nations General Assembly voted on a resolution reaffirming access to adequate food as a human right. Of the 188 countries that participated, only the United States and Israel voted against it.19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZTPmaKWpJX
UN General Assembly Resolution on the Right to Food
The irony is difficult to ignore. Israel reports over 2.8 million people experiencing food insecurity, while in the United States, 47.4 million people lived in food-insecure households in 2023.19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6gt4THqrmJ
Food insecurity in Israel – Israel National Insurance Institute19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYdEBvaacA5
Food insecurity in the U.S. – USDA
Rather than addressing the crisis directly, the U.S. government later withdrew from aspects of international food-security monitoring, citing concerns that the process had become “overly politicized.”19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxgdq4kD3O4
U.S. response to UN food security reporting
This refusal to fully affirm basic needs extends to clean water. While the United Nations recognizes safe drinking water and sanitation as a human right, several wealthy nations—including the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Australia—have historically opposed or resisted binding recognition.19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuWurI3W8fZ
UN Resolution: The Human Right to Water and Sanitation
The consequences are not theoretical.
In the United States, the CDC estimates at least 1.1 million people become sick each year from contaminated drinking water, which can contain hundreds of chemical and biological pollutants.19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDWhCYqfc3c
CDC: Drinking Water and Public Health
In the United Kingdom, nearly one million sewage discharges were released into rivers and coastal waters in 2024, raising serious concerns about public health and environmental safety.19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBwQZYfmwaK
UK sewage discharge data – Environment Agency
Canada has lifted 137 long-term drinking water advisories in recent years—a meaningful improvement—but 30 advisories remain in effect, primarily affecting Indigenous communities. Meanwhile, more than 200 billion liters of untreated sewage are released into waterways annually.19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJjpbnOCktj
Government of Canada: Drinking Water Advisories19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyuPBy4z2pU
Statistics Canada: Wastewater and sewage
In Australia, hundreds of thousands of people—many in remote and Indigenous communities—rely on water sources contaminated with uranium, arsenic, and E. coli.19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVLGvJxlX7g
Australian National Audit Office: Remote Community Water Safety
These are not abstract debates. These are deliberate policy choices made by a small number of powerful nations—choices that directly affect the health and survival of billions of people.
This isn’t just a failure of governance.19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNyNT3pnpCY
It’s a profound moral contradiction.
and then Add to home screen.