Change must come soon or some places will run out far before 2030

While the new report predicts the shortage to come over the span of the next fifteen years, some places in the world don't have that much time. Nowhere near, in fact.

NASA recently revealed that California's water supply only has one year's worth of water left. In an op-ed piece published in the Los Angeles Times, a senior water expert with NASA talked about the critical situation.

"As our 'wet' season draws to a close, it is clear that the paltry rain and snowfall have done almost nothing to alleviate epic drought conditions. January was the driest in California since record-keep began in 1895. Groundwater and snowpack levels are at all-time lows," Jay Famiglietti wrote. "We're not just up a creek without a paddle in California, we're losing the creek too."

Famiglietti says immediate measures need to be taken including mandatory water rationing. Additionally, he suggests California put together a think tank to come up with a more permanent solution, and that the population needs to get more involved.

"This crisis belongs to all of us — not just to a handful of decision-makers," he said. "Water is our most important, commonly owned resource, but the public remains detached from discussions and decisions."

But if the future is in the hands of people like 15-year-old Steven McDowell, California could still bounce back from the situation.

The young inventor addressed the urgent problem for his school's science fair and his novel idea is soon to become a promising product offered to California's residents to fight back against drought conditions.

The Waterfence, as his invention is called, collects water from the rain and stores it in the fence.

"Fresh clean water is California's most precious resource and it seems that we never have enough to go around," McDowell said. "I decided to use California's drought as my subject and how to help solve it as my project, using roof runoff as my source for the water."

Just an inch of rain falling on a 2,000 square feet home could lead to 1,264 gallons of fresh water stored in the fence.

NEXT: Water must become a priority for countries around the world