Billions of people are confronting the harsh reality of irreversible water "bankruptcy," as highlighted by a recent warning from UN researchers.
The United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health reported that nearly three-quarters of the global population lives in countries classified as "water insecure" or "critically water insecure." This crisis, resulting from decades of overuse and diminishing natural supplies, leaves four billion individuals facing severe water scarcity for at least one month each year, worsened by the decline of lakes, rivers, glaciers, and wetlands.
Kaveh Madani, the lead author and director of the institute, said, "Many regions are living beyond their hydrological means, and many critical water systems are already bankrupt." He emphasized that recognizing the reality of water bankruptcy is essential for making the difficult choices necessary to protect people, economies, and ecosystems.
The report indicates that water supplies are "already in a post-crisis state of failure" due to unsustainable extraction rates that have depleted water "savings" in aquifers, glaciers, soils, wetlands, and river ecosystems, compounded by pollution. Over 170 million hectares of irrigated cropland—an area larger than Iran—are experiencing "high" or "very high" water stress, with economic losses from land degradation, groundwater depletion, and climate change exceeding $300 billion annually.
Three billion people and more than half of global food production are concentrated in regions with unstable or declining water storage levels, while salinization has degraded over 100 million hectares of cropland.
The researchers argue that the current strategies for addressing water issues are inadequate, advocating for a new "global water agenda" aimed at minimizing damage rather than simply returning to previous norms. The new agenda could improve the progress of " global water agenda" while addressing climate change.