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The urgent global water crisis
The urgent global water crisis | GZERO World

The urgent global water crisis

Water is something none of us can live without, but billions of people take for granted. On GZERO World, UN-Water Chair Gilbert Houngbo and Ian Bremmer discuss the global water crisis, the impact of climate change, and solutions for providing future genereations with better access to clean, drinkable water.

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Ian Explains: The problem of our diminishing water supply
Ian explains: The problem of our diminishing water supply | GZERO World

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.

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The uncomfortable truth about water scarcity
The uncomfortable truth about water scarcity | GZERO World with Ian Bremmer

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.

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Kazi Salahuddin Razu

Podcast: What happens when we take water for granted

Transcript

Listen: The lack of access to clean, drinkable water is a critical issue affecting billions of people across the globe. On the GZERO World podcast, Gilbert Houngbo, Chair of UN-Water and former Prime Minister of Togo, talks with host Ian Bremmer about global efforts to protect the world's most precious resource.

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With a little Kelp from our friends!
With a little Kelp from our friends! | GZERO World

With a little Kelp from our friends!

Kelp! It's slimy, it's tangly, it's ... delicious! And experts say this nearly magical sea plant can help tackle two big global challenges: climate change and hunger. To learn more, GZERO Reports headed out to an oyster farm in Long Island to meet Michael Doall, associate director of shellfish research at Stony Brook University. Doall, dubbed the "Johnny Appleseed of Sugar Kelp," explains how the bounty of the sea can help address some of the problems we are creating on land.

This clip is part of an upcoming episode of GZERO World with Ian Bremmer. Check local US television listings to watch, or find the episode on GZERO's YouTube channel.

A map showing global water stress.

GZERO Media

Will the world come to grips with its water crisis in 2023?

This might be the year that the world finally acknowledges its mounting water crisis. From France to Zimbabwe and from the US to Chile, water shortages will drive new social and political conflicts. Rich developed countries will no longer be able to ignore the problem as one solely afflicting poor countries of the Global South. Against this backdrop, the UN is holding its first water conference in nearly 50 years from March 22-24 in New York.

We asked Eurasia Group expert Franck Gbaguidi what to expect from the UN conference and from efforts to address water scarcity in the year ahead.

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Water will become very political in 2023, says Eurasia Group analyst
Water Will Become Very Political in 2023, Says Eurasia Group Analyst | GZERO Media

Water will become very political in 2023, says Eurasia Group analyst

Perhaps the biggest surprise in Eurasia Group's top 10 geopolitical risks for 2023 is No. 10: water scarcity. But you should definitely pay attention to it.

The problem is that we take access to water for granted, says Eurasia Group analyst Franck Gbaguidi.

And while we've kept ignoring the issue, now the global population has hit 8 billion people. What's more, climate change is making water even less plentiful — and therefore more political.

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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.

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