Why don't we source our drinking water from the ocean? - Manish Kumar episode artwork

EPISODE · May 26, 2026 · 7 MIN

Why don't we source our drinking water from the ocean? - Manish Kumar

from TED-Ed · host TED-Ed

Explore how seawater desalination methods transform saltwater into potable freshwater, and what drawbacks this technology has.--Humans have been transforming seawater into potable freshwater for millennia. Today, billions of people can’t access clean drinking water, and 87 different countries are projected to be “water-scarce” by 2050. So, how can we use seawater desalination to combat water scarcity? And can we do it without further harming the environment? Manish Kumar digs into how scientists are creating freshwater.Lesson by Manish Kumar, directed by Vitalii Nebelskyi, and action creative agency.Support Our Non-Profit Mission----------------------------------------------Support us on Patreon: http://bit.ly/TEDEdPatreonCheck out our merch: http://bit.ly/TEDEDShop----------------------------------------------Connect With Us----------------------------------------------Sign up for our newsletter: http://bit.ly/TEDEdNewsletterFollow us on Facebook: http://bit.ly/TEDEdFacebookFind us on Twitter: http://bit.ly/TEDEdTwitterPeep us on Instagram: http://bit.ly/TEDEdInstagram----------------------------------------------Keep Learning----------------------------------------------View full lesson: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/why-dont-we-get-our-drinking-water-from-the-ocean-manish-kumarDig deeper with additional resources: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/why-dont-we-get-our-drinking-water-from-the-ocean-manish-kumar/digdeeperAnimator's website: https://www.and-action.netMusic: https://www.wonderboyaudio.com----------------------------------------------Thank you so much to our patrons for your support! Without you this video would not be possible! Michel-Ange Hortegat, Enes Kirimi, Amaury BISIAUX, ND, Samyogita Hardikar, Vanessa Graulich, Vandana Gunwani, Abdulmohsin Almadi, AJ Lyon, Geoffrey Bultitude, Mi Mi, Thomas Rothert, Brian Elieson, Oge O, Weronika Falkowska, Nevin Spoljaric, Sid Chanpuriya, Anoop Varghese, David Yastremski, Noah Webb, Roberto Chena, Oliver Koo, Luke Pisano, Andrea Gordon, Aleksandar Donev, Nicole Klau Ibarra, Jesse Lira, Ezekiel Raui, Petr Vacek, Dennis, Olivia Fu, Kari Teffeau, Cindy Lai, Rajath Durgada Manjunath, Dan Nguyen, Chin Beng Tan, Tom Boman, Karen Warner, Iryna Panasiuk, Aaron Torres, Eric Braun, Sonja Worzewski, Michael Clement, Adam Berry, Ghaith Tarawneh, Nathan Milford, Tomas Beckett, Alice Ice, Eric Berman, and Kurt Paolo Sevillano. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Explore how seawater desalination methods transform saltwater into potable freshwater, and what drawbacks this technology has.--Humans have been transforming seawater into potable freshwater for millennia. Today, billions of people can’t access clean drinking water, and 87 different countries are projected to be “water-scarce” by 2050. So, how can we use seawater desalination to combat water scarcity? And can we do it without further harming the environment? Manish Kumar digs into how scientists are creating freshwater.Lesson by Manish Kumar, directed by Vitalii Nebelskyi, and action creative agency.Support Our Non-Profit Mission----------------------------------------------Support us on Patreon: http://bit.ly/TEDEdPatreonCheck out our merch: http://bit.ly/TEDEDShop----------------------------------------------Connect With Us----------------------------------------------Sign up for our newsletter: http://bit.ly/TEDEdNewsletterFollow us on Facebook: http://bit.ly/TEDEdFacebookFind us on Twitter: http://bit.ly/TEDEdTwitterPeep us on Instagram: http://bit.ly/TEDEdInstagram----------------------------------------------Keep Learning----------------------------------------------View full lesson: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/why-dont-we-get-our-drinking-water-from-the-ocean-manish-kumarDig deeper with additional resources: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/why-dont-we-get-our-drinking-water-from-the-ocean-manish-kumar/digdeeperAnimator's website: https://www.and-action.netMusic: https://www.wonderboyaudio.com----------------------------------------------Thank you so much to our patrons for your support! Without you this video would not be possible! Michel-Ange Hortegat, Enes Kirimi, Amaury BISIAUX, ND, Samyogita Hardikar, Vanessa Graulich, Vandana Gunwani, Abdulmohsin Almadi, AJ Lyon, Geoffrey Bultitude, Mi Mi, Thomas Rothert, Brian Elieson, Oge O, Weronika Falkowska, Nevin Spoljaric, Sid Chanpuriya, Anoop Varghese, David Yastremski, Noah Webb, Roberto Chena, Oliver Koo, Luke Pisano, Andrea Gordon, Aleksandar Donev, Nicole Klau Ibarra, Jesse Lira, Ezekiel Raui, Petr Vacek, Dennis, Olivia Fu, Kari Teffeau, Cindy Lai, Rajath Durgada Manjunath, Dan Nguyen, Chin Beng Tan, Tom Boman, Karen Warner, Iryna Panasiuk, Aaron Torres, Eric Braun, Sonja Worzewski, Michael Clement, Adam Berry, Ghaith Tarawneh, Nathan Milford, Tomas Beckett, Alice Ice, Eric Berman, and Kurt Paolo Sevillano. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Why don't we source our drinking water from the ocean? - Manish Kumar

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This episode was published on May 26, 2026.

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Explore how seawater desalination methods transform saltwater into potable freshwater, and what drawbacks this technology has.--Humans have been transforming seawater into potable freshwater for millennia. Today, billions of people can’t access...

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