Two billion people worldwide are without access to safe water. But solutions are hard to come by when causes are not clearly defined. In a whirlwind tour of global water insecurity, one of the world’s leading experts on water politics chronicles the massive impact of climate change; the insatiable water demands of industry and agriculture; and the widespread lack of state investment in infrastructure. Filippo Menga focuses in particular on the high priests of global developmentalism – celebrities, CEOs, and sustainability directors – who have emerged as some of the loudest voices about water issues while offering few tangible solutions. Thirst shows that if humanity is to escape the deadlock that bedevils access to clean water, it has to reconsider both its faith in the market and its relationship with nature.