'Precipitation, the source of all fresh water, can no longer be relied upon': Global water cycle pushed out of balance ' [View all]

'Precipitation, the source of all fresh water, can no longer be relied upon': Global water cycle pushed out of balance 'for 1st time in human history'

By Ben Turner published 6 hours ago

Climate change and chronic water mismanagement are placing "unprecedented stress" on the world's water systems, according to a new report.


More than half of the world's food production is at risk of collapsing in the next 25 years due to a growing global water crisis, a new report warns.

Climate change, destructive land use and the consistent mismanagement of water resources mean that nearly 3 billion people and over half of global food production are in areas facing "unprecedented stress" on their water systems, the Global Commission on the Economics of Water said in a report released Oct. 17.

If the trend is not reversed, the growing deficit will have a seismic impact on humanity and the environment. Several cities are already sinking due to a loss of groundwater. Moreover, up to 8% of the global gross domestic product (GDP), and 15% of the GDP of lower-income countries, will be lost by 2050, according to the report.

"Today, half of the world's population faces water scarcity," Johan Rockström, director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) and one of the commission's four co-chairs, said in a statement. "As this vital resource becomes increasingly scarce, food security and human development are at risk — and we are allowing this to happen.”

More:
https://www.livescience.com/planet-earth/climate-change/precipitation-the-source-of-all-fresh-water-can-no-longer-be-relied-upon-global-water-cycle-pushed-out-of-balance-for-1st-time-in-human-history