FutureWire - futurism and emerging technology

Tuesday, August 22, 2006

One Third of World's Population Face Water Shortages

Scientists predicted several years ago that a third of the earth's population would face water scarcity by 2025... but it appears that we have already reached that point.

Natural forces, overuse and resource mismanagement have contributed to a quarter of the world living in areas of "physical water shortage," where water simply doesn't exist. Others live in areas of "economic water shortage," in which water exist but people don't have the means to access it, either because of poverty or dysfunctional governments.

Either way, continued water shortages will have a cascade effect in the coming years as lack of water leads to reduced crop output and food production, sanitation problems and conflicts between nations.

Source: Financial Times