Conflict in the Middle East and Africa is driving a human tsunami that has sent 500,000 people into Europe this year in the worst migration crisis since World War II. Beyond the conflict, however, there is another contributing factor: water scarcity.
The U.S. Clean Power Plan’s impact on water has been largely overlooked, even though power plants account 45 percent of the country's water withdrawals.
Globally, changing water supply and demand is inevitable; what that change will look like is far from certain. A first-of-its-kind analysis sheds new light on the issue.
When it comes to water, most people don’t know what they’ve got ‘til it’s gone – yet we are already facing a water scarcity crisis.
Many of the world's biggest aquifers are being depleted much faster than they can be replenished, from the Middle East to India to California. New NASA satellite data reveals a looming global groundwater crisis.
In certain areas of the world, more than 80 percent of the local water supply is withdrawn by businesses, farmers, residents and other consumers every year. These areas are particularly vulnerable to episodic drought.
Snow-capped mountain ranges no longer have snow. Citizens fear they'll lose access to water. And farmers continue to draw scarce groundwater.
So what can California do to shore up its dwindling water supply?
Many places around the world have no idea how much groundwater and surface water they have, let alone how much they can use sustainably. The United Nation's proposed Sustainable Development Goals, however, could transform the way governments understand and manage scarce water resources.
Companies are realizing that managing water within their four walls is insufficient. Only coordinated, collective action can protect water resources and mitigate long-term business risks.
WRI evaluated the climate-water implications of more than 20 generation technologies in China, and found several win-win solutions for its power sector to reduce water impacts and emissions.
