A conference of 500 of the world’s leading water scientists issued a stark declaration at the end of a four-day meeting in Germany, warning that within two generations a majority of the people on the planet will face problems obtaining ample supplies of clean water. At the meeting, “Water in the Anthropocene,” the scientists said that the of over-pumping of underground aquifers, soaring populations, pollution, the over-use of fertilizers, and climate change are seriously threatening supplies of freshwater around much of the globe. Continuing on the current path will mean that most of Earth’s population “will be living under the handicap of severe water pressure,” the scientists said, adding, “This handicap will be self-inflicted and is, we believe, entirely avoidable.” The conference proposed a wide range of solutions, including better study and monitoring of water supplies, basic reform in irrigation and agriculture, and innovation in the institutions that set national and global water policy.
Majority of Earth’s Population Faces Water Shortages by Mid-Century
More From E360
-
E360 Film Contest
In Nebraska, Bighorn Sheep Reclaim Their Former High Plains Home
-
Energy
More Energy on Less Land: The Drive to Shrink Solar’s Footprint
-
OPINION
How Preventing Unwanted Pregnancies Can Help on Climate
-
Climate
Shifting Sands: Carolina’s Outer Banks Face a Precarious Future
-
Cities
Urban Waters: Discovering the Hidden Beauty of a Jersey River
-
Solutions
Bringing Back the Beasts: Global Rewilding Plans Take Shape
-
Biodiversity
Will a Nile Canal Project Dry Up Africa’s Largest Wetland?
-
Cities
The Living City: Weaving Nature Back Into the Urban Fabric
-
Energy
Bitcoin’s Intensive Energy Demands Are Sparking a Crypto Backlash
-
Energy
How Russia’s War Is Putting Green Tech Progress in Jeopardy
-
Food & Agriculture
Pollen and Heat: A Looming Challenge for Global Agriculture
-
OPINION
Wrong Turn: America’s Car Culture and the Road Not Taken