Civilization has been slow to give up on our myth of the Earth’s infinite generosity. Declining to look for evidence to the contrary, we just knew it was there. We pumped aquifers and diverted rivers, trusting the twin lucky stars of unrestrained human expansion and endless supply. Now water tables plummet in countries harboring half the world’s population. Rather grandly, we have overdrawn our accounts.
Barbara Kingsolver, on protecting the commons. National Geographic - April 2010