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Ian Explains: The problem of our diminishing water supply
Water is a vital resource the world can't live without, yet it's something we often overlook. Did you know that there is only one ocean on Earth? It's true. It might have a different name depending on where you are in the world––Atlantic, Pacific, Indian––but they're all connected. And they cover a staggering 71% of our planet's surface, representing 96% of all water on earth.
Freshwater, the kind we need to survive, is becoming scarcer every day, Ian Bremmer explains on GZERO World. Climate change and increasing demand for water are putting pressure on one of the world's most precious resources. As a result, droughts and severe water scarcity are becoming more common.
Four billion people, half of the world's population, experience at least a month of water scarcity each year, which could displace as many as 700 million people by 2030. Water scarcity leads to hunger, displacement, and conflict, which makes protecting the world's water supply one of our most urgent problems.
While we've made efforts to protect our oceans, scientists say we need to do more to ensure we have access to the freshwater we need.Watch the GZERO World episode: The uncomfortable truth about water scarcity
The uncomfortable truth about water scarcity
Water is critical to life, yet billions of people worldwide lack access to it. Gilbert Houngbo, Chair of UN-Water, sheds light on this critical issue on GZERO World. Houngbo attributes the water crisis to both "lack of resources and bad governance," and stresses the need for investment in water-related infrastructure to help solve the problem.
"We as a global society have taken water for granted," Houngbo says, "Water must become everyone's business." Agriculture alone accounts for up to 75% of global fresh water use, so investing in technology to reduce waste and also plan for climate change is key. Houngbo also highlights the importance of developing metrics to measure progress in addressing water scarcity, particularly in rural areas, and cautions against private companies leaving the most vulnerable populations behind.
Despite the challenges, Houngbo remains optimistic that society can meet the global water challenge through policies that ensure access to basic water services, encourage water reuse, and minimize pollution risks.
Up to four billion people—half the world’s population—experience at least a month of severe water scarcity each year. The international community must come together to protect the earth's most precious resource for future generations, Houngbo tells Ian Bremmer.
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- Untangling the global water crisis ›
- Will the world come to grips with its water crisis in 2023? ›
- The global water crisis and the path to a sustainable future - GZERO Media ›
- Water crisis: Preserving fresh water sources is crucial to survival - GZERO Media ›
The Graphic Truth: Has clean water access improved?
In many low- and middle-income countries, availability of safe, drinkable water remains scarce. Though access has improved significantly in many places over the past two decades – by 152% in Afghanistan, for instance – the very low baseline means that still only 28% of that population has access to high quality drinking water. Meanwhile, countries like the Central African Republic, Zambia, Nepal, and Pakistan saw their access reduced over the past two decades. Here’s a snapshot of the relative change in access to safe drinking water around the world from 2000-2020.
What We’re Watching: Water wars vs. cooperation
Water wars?
Hundreds of millions of both Indians and Pakistanis depend on water from the Indus River for drinking, farming, and hydropower. The Indus Waters Treaty, signed by India’s prime minister and Pakistan’s president in 1960, guarantees how water from the river and its tributaries will be shared. This was put at risk in February 2019, when a suicide car bomb killed more than 40 Indian soldiers in the Indian-controlled sector of Kashmir. India’s transport minister responded with plans to “stop our share of water which used to flow to Pakistan.” The Pakistani government then warned it would treat any stoppage of water as an “act of war.” A treaty loses its values if one side decides not to honor it. Though tensions cooled in this case, the risk of a water war remains, because it’s simply too dangerous for these nuclear-armed and bitter rivals to fight a war with conventional weapons, and water will only become a more precious resource in coming years. Global warming could shrink the Himalayan glaciers that feed the river by more than a third in coming decades and make rainfall patterns more erratic, even as Indian and Pakistan water demand increases with population growth.
India and Pakistan are not the only rivals to successfully share water despite bitter differences on other questions. The five former Soviet Republics in Central Asia have not fought over access to the Aral Sea. Jordan and Israel haven’t waged war over the waters of the Jordan River. Threats over access to the Nile have not yet provoked war among Ethiopia, Sudan, and Egypt. A dispute over the Mekong River between China and its Southeast Asian neighbors has generated tensions but not widespread violence. Turkey and Armenia, neighbors with no diplomatic relations who have argued for decades over charges of genocide, have continued to share water from the Arpacay River, which forms the border between them. The two countries continued to honor the Soviet-era treaty that set water-use terms even while the two have fought on opposing sides of a war in 2020.
But successfully managed disputes of the past don’t guarantee a peaceful future, so these and other potential water-based confrontations are worth watching.
Can water cooperation bring peace to the Middle East?
Water scarcity is one of the biggest crises emanating from the climate crisis. If current trends continue, the UN warns that 5 billion people – more than two-thirds of the global population – could be living in areas grappling with extreme water scarcity by 2050. Long dealing with irregular rainfall, increasingly arid conditions, and a growing population, Israel has emerged as a global leader in clean water solutions. Israel, a tech hub, recognized early the importance of treating wastewater to meet growing domestic needs and to leverage it as a tool for international cooperation. In 2000, Israel, which straddles the Sea of Galilee and the extremely salty (and undrinkable) Dead Sea, revamped its water management system by building a slew of desalination plants. It has also revolutionized water recycling, treating wastewater effluent to make the liquid ready for human consumption and irrigation. The country currently recycles about 86% of water, using much of it for agricultural purposes in the arid Negev Desert.
This innovation has also presented opportunities for “drought diplomacy.” Last year, Israel and Jordan, who have long enjoyed a frosty peace, outlined a water-for-energy deal that will see Amman exchange solar energy capacity in exchange for much-needed desalinated water. Meanwhile, Israel has also partnered with Arab states, Egypt and Bahrain, on water-management approaches and equipment to mitigate shortages at home.
Innovative solutions to water scarcity problems can be found globally. The US state of Nevada, a national leader in water innovation, recently inked a deal with California’s government, whereby Nevada will dole out cash to help the Golden State develop new water treatment facilities in exchange for increased access to Lake Mead. Similarly, drought-stricken South Africa, once facing Day Zero – whereby taps were slated to be turned off in major cities like Cape Town because of water shortages – has successfully found a slate of tech-based solutions, particularly for the robust agriculture sector.
Water crisis forces Indian farmers to rethink their crops
HARYANA, INDIA (BLOOMBERG) - On a scorching summer day in northern India, Ajay Singh sat next to his water pump and scanned his 10 acres (4ha) of farmland.
Sydney to impose first water restrictions in a decade
SYDNEY • Australia's most populous state yesterday announced its first major water restrictions in a decade, putting limits on homes and businesses amid a record-breaking drought.
Selangor water disruption for repairs at plant to hit 4 million
PUTRAJAYA • Over four million consumers in Malaysia have been advised to store two days' worth of water, ahead of the biggest water cut so far in Selangor state beginning next Wednesday.
As drought bites, Thai cities urged to rein in festive water fights
BANGKOK (THOMSON REUTERS FOUNDATION) - A worsening drought in parts of Thailand has prompted monks and conservationists to appeal to city dwellers to temper traditional New Year celebrations, which are marked by people throwing large quantities of water at each other in the streets.