{"id":115115,"date":"2024-10-17T08:34:12","date_gmt":"2024-10-17T01:34:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=115115"},"modified":"2024-10-17T08:34:12","modified_gmt":"2024-10-17T01:34:12","slug":"global-water-crisis-leaves-half-of-world-food-production-at-risk-in-next-25-years-water","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=115115","title":{"rendered":"Global water crisis leaves half of world food production at risk in next 25 years | Water"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\r\n     data-ad-layout-key=\"-fb+5w+4e-db+86\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"7910942971\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\">More than half the world\u2019s food production will be at risk of failure within the next 25 years as a rapidly accelerating water crisis grips the planet, unless urgent action is taken to conserve water resources and end the destruction of the ecosystems on which our fresh water depends, experts have warned in a landmark review.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\">Half the world\u2019s population already faces water scarcity, and that number is set to rise as the climate crisis worsens, according to a report from the <a href=\"https:\/\/watercommission.org\/\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">Global Commission on the Economics of Water<\/a> published on Thursday.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\">Demand for fresh water will outstrip supply by 40% by the end of the decade, because the world\u2019s water systems are being put under \u201cunprecedented stress\u201d, the report found.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\">The commission found that governments and experts have vastly underestimated the amount of water needed for people to have decent lives. While 50 to 100 litres a day are required for each person\u2019s health and hygiene, in fact people require about 4,000 litres a day in order to have adequate nutrition and a dignified life. For most regions, that volume cannot be achieved locally, so people are dependent on trade \u2013 in food, clothing and consumer goods \u2013 to meet their needs.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\">Some countries benefit more than others from \u201cgreen water\u201d, which is soil moisture that is necessary for food production, as opposed to \u201cblue water\u201d from rivers and lakes. The report found that water moves around the world in \u201catmospheric rivers\u201d which transport moisture from one region to another.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\">About half the world\u2019s rainfall over land comes from healthy vegetation in ecosystems that transpires water back into the atmosphere and generates clouds that then move downwind. China and Russia are the main beneficiaries of these \u201catmospheric river\u201d systems, while India and Brazil are the major exporters, as their landmass supports the flow of green water to other regions. Between 40% and 60% of the source of fresh water rainfall is generated from neighbouring land use.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\">\u201cThe Chinese economy depends on sustainable forest management in Ukraine, Kazakhstan and the Baltic region,\u201d said Prof Johan Rockstr\u00f6m, the director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research and one of the co-chairs of the commission. \u201cYou can make the same case for Brazil supplying fresh water to Argentina. This interconnectedness just shows that we have to place fresh water in the global economy as a global common good.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\">Tharman Shanmugaratnam, the president of Singapore and a co-chair of the commission, said countries must start cooperating on the management of water resources before it was too late.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\">\u201cWe have to think radically about how we are going to preserve the sources of fresh water, how we are going to use it far more efficiently, and how we are going to be able to have access to fresh water available to every community, including the vulnerable \u2013 in other words, how we preserve equity [between rich and poor],\u201d Shanmugaratnam said.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"f4639103-ea9c-4ae9-b4a6-cc108f0163f7\" data-spacefinder-role=\"richLink\" data-spacefinder-type=\"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.RichLinkBlockElement\" class=\" dcr-1your1i\"><gu-island name=\"RichLinkComponent\" priority=\"feature\" deferuntil=\"idle\" props=\"{&quot;richLinkIndex&quot;:9,&quot;element&quot;:{&quot;_type&quot;:&quot;model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.RichLinkBlockElement&quot;,&quot;prefix&quot;:&quot;Related: &quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Global fresh water demand will outstrip supply by 40% by 2030, say experts&quot;,&quot;elementId&quot;:&quot;f4639103-ea9c-4ae9-b4a6-cc108f0163f7&quot;,&quot;role&quot;:&quot;richLink&quot;,&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/environment\/2023\/mar\/17\/global-fresh-water-demand-outstrip-supply-by-2030&quot;},&quot;ajaxUrl&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/api.nextgen.guardianapps.co.uk&quot;,&quot;format&quot;:{&quot;design&quot;:0,&quot;display&quot;:0,&quot;theme&quot;:0}}\"\/><\/figure>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\">The Global Commission on the Economics of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/environment\/water\" data-link-name=\"in body link\" data-component=\"auto-linked-tag\">Water<\/a> was set up by the Netherlands in 2022, drawing on the work of dozens of leading scientists and economists, to form a comprehensive view of the state of global hydrological systems and how they are managed. Its 194-page report is the biggest global study to examine all aspects of the water crisis and suggest remedies for policymakers.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\">The findings were surprisingly stark, said Rockstr\u00f6m. \u201cWater is victim number one of the [climate crisis], the environmental changes we see now aggregating at the global level, putting the entire stability of earth\u2019s systems at risk,\u201d he told the Guardian. \u201c[The climate crisis] manifests itself first and foremost in droughts and floods. When you think of heatwaves and fires, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2021\/aug\/10\/heat-drought-and-fire-how-climate-dangers-combine-for-a-catastrophic-perfect-storm\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">really hard impacts are via moisture<\/a> \u2013 in the case of fires, [global heating] first dries out landscapes so that they burn.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><gu-island name=\"InteractiveBlockComponent\" priority=\"critical\" deferuntil=\"idle\" props=\"{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/interactive.guim.co.uk\/uploader\/embed\/2024\/10\/water-cycle\/giv-4559joY5V1myZTHj\/&quot;,&quot;scriptUrl&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/interactive.guim.co.uk\/embed\/iframe-wrapper\/0.1\/boot.js&quot;,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;Graphic&quot;,&quot;format&quot;:{&quot;design&quot;:0,&quot;display&quot;:0,&quot;theme&quot;:0},&quot;elementId&quot;:&quot;4a4feb58-ed35-4132-bab2-6ea0b72d960e&quot;,&quot;isMainMedia&quot;:false}\"><\/p>\n<figure id=\"4a4feb58-ed35-4132-bab2-6ea0b72d960e\" data-alt=\"Graphic\" data-testid=\"interactive-element-Graphic\" data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"element element-interactive element--inline element-inline dcr-1edkzp\"><a data-name=\"placeholder\" href=\"https:\/\/interactive.guim.co.uk\/uploader\/embed\/2024\/10\/water-cycle\/giv-4559joY5V1myZTHj\/\" class=\"dcr-1eupayo\">Graphic<\/a><\/figure>\n<p><\/gu-island><\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\">Every 1C increase in global temperatures adds another 7% of moisture to the atmosphere, which has the effect of \u201cpowering up\u201d the hydrological cycle far more than would happen under normal variations. The destruction of nature is also <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/environment\/2018\/may\/16\/water-shortages-to-be-key-environmental-challenge-of-the-century-nasa-warns\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">further fuelling the crisis<\/a>, because cutting down forests and draining wetlands disrupts the hydrological cycle that depends on transpiration from trees and the storage of water in soils.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\">Harmful subsidies are also distorting the world\u2019s water systems, and must be addressed as a priority, the experts found. More than $700bn (\u00a3540bn) of subsidies each year go to agriculture, and a high proportion of these are misdirected, encouraging farmers to use more water than they need for irrigation or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/environment\/2021\/mar\/22\/failure-of-governments-to-value-water-leading-to-widespread-waste-un-says\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">in wasteful practices<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\">Industry also benefits \u2013 about 80% of the wastewater used by industries around the world is not recycled.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\">Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the director general of the World Trade Organization, also a co-chair of the commission, said countries must redirect the subsidies, axing harmful ones while ensuring poor people were not disadvantaged. \u201cWe must have a basket of policy tools working together if we are to get the three Es \u2013 efficiency, equity and environmental sustainability and justice. Therefore we have to couple the pricing of water with appropriate subsidies,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\">At present, subsidies mainly benefit those who are better off, Okonjo-Iweala added. \u201cIndustry is getting a lot of the subsidy, and richer people. So what we need are better targeted subsidies. We need to identify the poor people who really need this,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"33107dba-0452-4542-b5a3-161bf92cebd8\" data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" data-spacefinder-type=\"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.ImageBlockElement\" class=\" dcr-173mewl\"><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-1fujct4\"><span class=\"dcr-1inf02i\"><svg width=\"18\" height=\"13\" viewbox=\"0 0 18 13\"><path d=\"M18 3.5v8l-1.5 1.5h-15l-1.5-1.5v-8l1.5-1.5h3.5l2-2h4l2 2h3.5l1.5 1.5zm-9 7.5c1.9 0 3.5-1.6 3.5-3.5s-1.6-3.5-3.5-3.5-3.5 1.6-3.5 3.5 1.6 3.5 3.5 3.5z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1qvd3m6\">The water crisis has an outsized impact on women, one of the commission\u2019s co-chairs said.<\/span> Photograph: Anjum Naveed\/AP<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\">Developing countries must also be given access to the finance they need to overhaul their water systems, provide safe water and sanitation, and halt the destruction of the natural environment, the report found.<\/p>\n<figure data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" data-spacefinder-type=\"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.NewsletterSignupBlockElement\" class=\" dcr-173mewl\"><a data-ignore=\"global-link-styling\" href=\"#EmailSignup-skip-link-20\" class=\"dcr-jzxpee\">skip past newsletter promotion<\/a><\/p>\n<aside aria-label=\"newsletter promotion\" class=\"dcr-av5vqf\">\n<p class=\"dcr-1xjndtj\">The planet&#8217;s most important stories. Get all the week&#8217;s environment news &#8211; the good, the bad and the essential<\/p>\n<p><gu-island name=\"SecureSignup\" priority=\"feature\" deferuntil=\"visible\" props=\"{&quot;newsletterId&quot;:&quot;green-light&quot;,&quot;successDescription&quot;:&quot;The planet's most important stories. Get all the week's environment news - the good, the bad and the essential&quot;}\"\/><span class=\"dcr-1eusqlu\"><strong>Privacy Notice: <\/strong>Newsletters may contain info about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. For more information see our <a data-ignore=\"global-link-styling\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/help\/privacy-policy\" rel=\"noreferrer\" class=\"dcr-1rjy2q9\">Privacy Policy<\/a>. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google <a data-ignore=\"global-link-styling\" href=\"https:\/\/policies.google.com\/privacy\" rel=\"noreferrer\" class=\"dcr-1rjy2q9\">Privacy Policy<\/a> and <a data-ignore=\"global-link-styling\" href=\"https:\/\/policies.google.com\/terms\" rel=\"noreferrer\" class=\"dcr-1rjy2q9\">Terms of Service<\/a> apply.<\/span><\/aside>\n<p id=\"EmailSignup-skip-link-20\" tabindex=\"0\" aria-label=\"after newsletter promotion\" role=\"note\" class=\"dcr-jzxpee\">after newsletter promotion<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\">Mariana Mazzucato, professor of economics at University College London, and a co-chair of the commission, said loans made by public sector banks to developing countries should be made conditional on water reforms. \u201cThese could be improving water conservation and the efficiency of water use, or direct investment for water-intensive industries,\u201d she said. \u201c[We must ensure] profits are reinvested in productive activity such as research and development around water issues.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\">Water problems also had an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/environment\/2024\/mar\/21\/women-and-girls-suffer-first-when-droughts-hit-poor-and-rural-areas-says-un\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">outsized impact on women and girls<\/a>, Mazzucato added. \u201cOne of our commissioners is Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr, the mayor of Freetown in Sierra Leone. She says most of the rapes and abuse of women actually happen when they\u2019re going to fetch water,\u201d Mazzucato said. \u201cChild mortality, gender parity, the water collection burden, the food security burden \u2013 they\u2019re all connected.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"five-main-takeaways-from-the-report\" class=\"dcr-12ibh7f\">Five main takeaways from the report<\/h2>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\"><strong>The world <\/strong><strong>has a water crisis<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\">More than 2 billion people lack access to safe drinking water, and 3.6 billion people \u2013 44% of the population \u2013 lack access to safe sanitation. Every day, 1,000 children die from lack of access to safe water. Demand for fresh water is expected to outstrip its supply by 40% by the end of this decade. This crisis is worsening \u2013 without action, by 2050 water problems will shave about 8% off global GDP, with poor countries facing a 15% loss. Over half of the world\u2019s food production comes from areas experiencing unstable trends in water availability.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\"><strong>There is no coordinated global effort to address this crisis<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\">Despite the interconnectedness of global water systems there are no global governance structures for water. The UN has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2023\/mar\/24\/united-nations-water-conference-new-york-pledges\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">held only one water conference in the past 50 years<\/a>, and only last month <a href=\"https:\/\/www.unwater.org\/news\/un-secretary-general%E2%80%99s-special-envoy-water-announced\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">appointed a special envoy for water<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\"><strong>Climate breakdown is intensifying water scarcity<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\">The impacts of the climate crisis are felt first on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/news\/2018\/jun\/18\/are-we-running-out-of-water\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">the world\u2019s hydrological systems<\/a>, and in some regions those systems are facing severe disruption or even collapse. Drought in the Amazon, floods across Europe and Asia, and glacier melt in mountains, which causes both flooding and droughts downstream, are all examples of the impacts of extreme weather that are likely to get worse in the near future. People\u2019s overuse of water is also worsening the climate crisis \u2013 for instance, by draining carbon-rich peatlands and wetlands that then release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\"><strong>Water is artificially cheap for some<\/strong><strong> and too expensive for others<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\">Subsidies to agriculture around the world <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/environment\/2021\/sep\/14\/global-farm-subsidies-damage-people-planet-un-climate-crisis-nature-inequality\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">often have unintended consequences for water<\/a>, providing perverse incentives for farmers to over-irrigate their crops or use water wastefully. Industries also have their water use subsidised, or their pollution ignored, in many countries. Meanwhile, poor people in developing countries frequently pay a high price for water, or can only access dirty sources. Realistic pricing for water that removes harmful subsidies but protects the poor must be a priority for governments.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\"><strong>Water is a common good<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\">All of human life depends on water, but it is not <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/news\/2018\/jun\/18\/are-we-running-out-of-water\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">recognised for the indispensable resource it is<\/a>. The authors of the report urge a rethink of how water is regarded \u2013 not as an endlessly renewable resource, but as a global common good, with a global water pact by governments to ensure they protect water sources and create a \u201ccircular economy\u201d for water in which it is reused and pollution cleaned up. Developing nations must be given access to finance to help them end the destruction of natural ecosystems that are a key part of the hydrological cycle.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\r\n     data-ad-layout-key=\"-fb+5w+4e-db+86\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"7910942971\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><div data-type=\"_mgwidget\" data-widget-id=\"1660802\">\r\n<\/div>\r\n<script>(function(w,q){w[q]=w[q]||[];w[q].push([\"_mgc.load\"])})(window,\"_mgq\");\r\n<\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/environment\/2024\/oct\/16\/global-water-crisis-food-production-at-risk\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>More than half the world\u2019s food production will be at risk of failure within the next 25 years as a rapidly accelerating water crisis grips the planet, unless urgent action &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=115115\" class=\"more-link\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-115115","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-world","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/115115","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=115115"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/115115\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=115115"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=115115"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=115115"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}