Wednesday 22 March 2023

UN: ‘Stop overusing water or we could run out’

UN: ‘Stop overusing water or we could run out’

Overconsumption of water is leading the world down a “dangerous path” to shortages.

That’s according to a new UN report, with Secretary-General António Guterres stating that “unsustainable water use, pollution and unchecked global warming” is drying the world’s water supply.

The report reveals that 10% of the world live in places that have “high or critical water stress” – and that 3.5 billion people experience these conditions for at least one month of the year.

Overconsumption has become an endemic quality in the last few decades, the researchers stress – and must be changed to prevent our supply running dry.

By 2050, the global urban population suffering from water scarcity is projected to double from 930 million in 2016 to 1.7 billion.

The research has been published in the run up to the UN’s first water summit in 45 years, with official host of the summit Usha Rao-Monari stating: “There is enough water on the planet if we manage it more effectively than we have managed it over the last few decades.”

She continued: “I think we will have to find new governance models, new finance models, new models of using water and reusing water than ever before. I think that technology and innovation will play a very large role in looking at how to manage the water sector and the use of water.”

Johannes Cullmann, Scientific Advisor at the World Meteorological Organisation, added: “Cooperation is the heart of sustainable development and water is an immensely powerful connector. We should not negotiate water; we should deliberate on it.”

The report stressed that water is a human right and should be shared fairly.

Written by

Bruna Pinhoni

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