Water tables are falling dramatically in many parts of the world due to over-abstraction of water for agricultural and industrial uses, and changing weather patterns.

It’s a simple fact of life that technology changes the way we do things, and technology is changing the way we give to charities. Haitian relief efforts are a good example. The Red Cross raised over $30 million for Haiti after the earthquake through text donations by mid-February, over 10 percent of all funds raised. A recent survey, commissioned by the Boston marketing firm, Cone, discovered that thirteen percent of Americans made a text-message donation to Haitian relief efforts.

The devastating earthquake that shook Haiti in January destroyed the country's already weak phone network. Now, some entrepreneurs see an opportunity rising out of the rubble. John Stanton — whose company owns the second-largest mobile carrier in Haiti — thinks Haiti should go copper-wire-free. He says the country should forget rebuilding the old system, and instead build a more robust cell phone network. Robert Siegel talks to Stanton about his idea to leapfrog land-line technology.