Government officials from four Southern Cone nations—Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay—convened in Montevideo last month to launch a four-year, $26.8 million program aimed at safeguarding the Guaraní Aquifer, one of the world’s largest underground sources of fresh water. The 460,000-square-mile (1.2 million-sq-km) Guaraní Aquifer underlies portions of all four countries, with 71% of it in southern and western Brazil, 19% in northeastern Argentina, 6% in eastern Paraguay and 4% in northwestern Uruguay. The vast majority of water users in those areas currently rely on river water, but the aquifer is expected to play an increasingly prominent role in the future. Until now, the Guaraní Aquifer has been managed by the respective national governments—or in Brazil’s case, by... [Log in to read more]