YourStory reports the next big investment for the elite is a new "blue gold" rush for water.

Water may cover 70 percent of Earth's surface, but it's still finite and mostly saline. Additionally, it's becoming increasingly scarce due to extreme weather events such as drought and irresponsible human-caused problems such as pollution. 

So, the world's richest individuals — from tech pros to asset firms — have strategically been acquiring land around various water sources, with groundwater access particularly in high demand. Top asset manager BlackRock now includes water sustainability as a top investment focus. Some firms are also involved in advanced irrigation and desalination plants, but not for philanthropic or ecological reasons.

According to YourStory, thought leader Dan Peña states the global elite are preparing for a future where clean and accessible water will be a luxury, not a guarantee. By preparing now, they can profit later while the less fortunate deal with scarcity as water-rich areas become closed off.

In an example of simultaneously contributing to a problem they're now trying to protect themselves from, megacorporations such as Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Danone, and Nestle are exploiting water in some of the world's poorest areas. CounterPunch reported in 2022 that these companies are making 494 times their initial investment by bottling up water from local sources and selling it back to locals, before polluting such areas by dumping used water back.

Plus, billionaires have a highly disproportionate impact on the planet just from their love of yachts and private jets, and this water situation isn't helping to reduce that. On a positive note, Bill Gates is making some conservation progress and future sustainable happy hours by backing a startup technology that converts shower wastewater into beer.

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However, one billionaire-backed startup isn't enough; several others are violating equitable access to a vital natural resource. Luckily, some landowners have foregone maintaining privatization to donate massive amounts of water-accessible land to local conservation groups. Plus, consumers can support brands with demonstrated sustainability while avoiding those guilty of greenwashing and harming waterways behind the scenes.

Water isn't just another checklist on a billionaire's investment portfolio, but a must for all survival. Peña warned, per YourStory: "If people don't realise what's happening now, they'll wake up one day and realise they can't afford to drink."

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