"<h1>Water Supports Economy and Biodiversity</h1>Less than <a href=\"https://www.worldwildlife.org/initiatives/fresh-water\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">1 percent</a> of the world's water is fresh and accessible, yet freshwater plays an outsize role in supporting economic activities and biodiversity. There are an estimated <a href=\"https://www.iucn.org/theme/species/our-work/freshwater-biodiversity\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;\">140,000</a> known freshwater species, about 10 percent of all animals and 45 percent of all fish."

Wetland ecosystems, including lakes, rivers, marshes, and some coastal regions, approximately reach about <a href="https://www.worldwildlife.org/pages/global-lakes-and-wetlands-database" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">10 million km2</a>, or 8 percent of global land surface area. They provide vital ecosystem services to people, including food and fiber, flood protection, and water purification, and support diverse aquatic life. In 2005, the value of wetlands was estimated at <a href="https://www.millenniumassessment.org/documents/document.358.aspx.pdf" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">US$ 15 trillion</a>.&nbsp;

"Communities depend on clean water for daily activities. Yet many people still do not have sufficient access to reliable clean water. The World Health Organization estimates that a person needs at least <a href=\"http://www.who.int/water_sanitation_health/diseases/WSH03.02.pdf\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">50-100 l</a>iters of water per day for consumption and basic hygiene. As of 2015 over <a href=\"http://www.unwater.org/publications/whounicef-joint-monitoring-program-water-supply-sanitation-hygiene-jmp-2017-update-sdg-baselines/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">800 million</a> people lacked even a basic drinking water source within 15 minutes of their home, and only 40 percent of the world population uses safely managed sanitation services, creating the conditions for diseases such as cholera, dysentery, and typhoid to spread. "

Communities depend on clean water for daily activities. Yet many people still do not have sufficient access to reliable clean water. The World Health Organization estimates that a person needs at least <a href="http://www.who.int/water_sanitation_health/diseases/WSH03.02.pdf" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">50-100 l</a>iters of water per day for consumption and basic hygiene. As of 2015 over <a href="http://www.unwater.org/publications/whounicef-joint-monitoring-program-water-supply-sanitation-hygiene-jmp-2017-update-sdg-baselines/" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">800 million</a> people lacked even a basic drinking water source within 15 minutes of their home, and only 40 percent of the world population uses safely managed sanitation services, creating the conditions for diseases such as cholera, dysentery, and typhoid to spread.

"Water is key to agriculture production and food security. Crop production, livestock farming, and food processing all need quality water in sufficient quantities. Of the total water withdrawn worldwide, about <a href=\"http://www.fao.org/nr/water/aquastat/tables/WorldData-Withdrawal_eng.pdf\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">70 percent</a> is used to irrigate crops. Industrial production, including energy, is second-largest user of water, accounting for 20 percent of total water withdrawals. Approximately half of that, or <a href=\"https://www.iea.org/publications/freepublications/publication/WorldEnergyOutlook2016ExcerptWaterEnergyNexus.pdf\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">10 percent</a> of global withdrawals, goes into energy production, primarily for the cooling of power plants. "

Water is key to agriculture production and food security. Crop production, livestock farming, and food processing all need quality water in sufficient quantities. Of the total water withdrawn worldwide, about <a href="http://www.fao.org/nr/water/aquastat/tables/WorldData-Withdrawal_eng.pdf" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;">70 percent</a> is used to irrigate crops. Industrial production, including energy, is second-largest user of water, accounting for 20 percent of total water withdrawals. Approximately half of that, or <a href="https://www.iea.org/publications/freepublications/publication/WorldEnergyOutlook2016ExcerptWaterEnergyNexus.pdf" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;">10 percent</a> of global withdrawals, goes into energy production, primarily for the cooling of power plants.

"Hydropower needs sufficient water to operate. The leading renewable source for electricity generation globally, hydropower reached 1,064 GW of installed capacity in 2016, accounting for 16.4 percent of the world’s electricity from all sources, and <a href=\"https://www.worldenergy.org/data/resources/resource/hydropower/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;\">71 percent</a> of all renewable electricity. "

Hydropower needs sufficient water to operate. The leading renewable source for electricity generation globally, hydropower reached 1,064 GW of installed capacity in 2016, accounting for 16.4 percent of the world’s electricity from all sources, and <a href="https://www.worldenergy.org/data/resources/resource/hydropower/" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">71 percent</a> of all renewable electricity.

"Unsustainable use of water resources can harm both freshwater and coastal ecosystems. Nitrogen and phosphorus from sewage, agricultural runoff, livestock, stormwater, and atmospheric deposition can, in excess, lead to algal blooms that deplete the water of oxygen, harming aquatic species, fisheries, and coral reefs. Harmful algal blooms also pose threats to human health. Water quality is projected to decline over the next few decades, putting as many as <a href=\"http://www.ifpri.org/publication/murky-future-global-water-quality-new-global-study-projects-rapid-deterioration-water\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">1 in 3 people</a> at risk of water pollution from excess nutrients. An estimated <a href=\"https://uneplive.unep.org/media/docs/assessments/unep_wwqa_report_web.pdf\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;\">80 percent</a> of wastewater flows into rivers and oceans without adequate treatment. There are a record and growing number of&nbsp;eutrophic and hypoxic areas around the world. Yet the effects of water pollution are difficult to track, as data on water quality is <a href=\"https://uneplive.unep.org/media/docs/assessments/unep_wwqa_report_web.pdf\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;\">severely lacking</a> worldwide. "

Unsustainable use of water resources can harm both freshwater and coastal ecosystems. Nitrogen and phosphorus from sewage, agricultural runoff, livestock, stormwater, and atmospheric deposition can, in excess, lead to algal blooms that deplete the water of oxygen, harming aquatic species, fisheries, and coral reefs. Harmful algal blooms also pose threats to human health. Water quality is projected to decline over the next few decades, putting as many as <a href="http://www.ifpri.org/publication/murky-future-global-water-quality-new-global-study-projects-rapid-deterioration-water" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">1 in 3 people</a> at risk of water pollution from excess nutrients. An estimated <a href="https://uneplive.unep.org/media/docs/assessments/unep_wwqa_report_web.pdf" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;">80 percent</a> of wastewater flows into rivers and oceans without adequate treatment. There are a record and growing number of&nbsp;eutrophic and hypoxic areas around the world. Yet the effects of water pollution are difficult to track, as data on water quality is <a href="https://uneplive.unep.org/media/docs/assessments/unep_wwqa_report_web.pdf" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;">severely lacking</a> worldwide.

"Many parts of the world are pushing their water supplies to the limit. <a href=\"https://www.wri.org/blog/2013/12/world%E2%80%99s-36-most-water-stressed-countries\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;\">36 countries</a> face extremely high levels of baseline water stress, meaning that more than 80 percent of the available water is withdrawn annually -- leaving businesses, farms, and communities vulnerable to scarcity. An estimated <a href=\"https://www.nature.com/articles/nature11295\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;\">20 percent</a> of the world’s largest aquifers are overexploited. Pumping groundwater faster than it can recharge may lead to problems such as land subsidence and saltwater intrusion as well as limiting potential increases in agricultural production. "

Many parts of the world are pushing their water supplies to the limit. <a href="https://www.wri.org/blog/2013/12/world%E2%80%99s-36-most-water-stressed-countries" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">36 countries</a> face extremely high levels of baseline water stress, meaning that more than 80 percent of the available water is withdrawn annually -- leaving businesses, farms, and communities vulnerable to scarcity. An estimated <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/nature11295" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">20 percent</a> of the world’s largest aquifers are overexploited. Pumping groundwater faster than it can recharge may lead to problems such as land subsidence and saltwater intrusion as well as limiting potential increases in agricultural production.

"Over <a href=\"https://advances.sciencemag.org/content/6/18/eaaz6031\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">25 percent</a> of agricultural lands are in regions that are under high water stress, measured as the ratio of water withdrawals to water supply,&nbsp;&nbsp;leaving little room to absorb inevitable droughts. In regions that are especially vulnerable, drought can lead to famine and political instability. "

"For centuries, humans have been substantially altering freshwater ecosystems for navigation, mining, flood control, power generation, and agriculture. Construction of hydroelectric dams, irrigation projects, and channelization of river corridors have significant impacts on aquatic ecosystems. Between 1970 and 2016, freshwater species populations are estimated to have declined <a href=\"https://f.hubspotusercontent20.net/hubfs/4783129/LPR/PDFs/ENGLISH-FULL.pdf\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">8</a><a href=\"https://f.hubspotusercontent20.net/hubfs/4783129/LPR/PDFs/ENGLISH-FULL.pdf\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">4 percent</a>, faster than both terrestrial and oceanic species. Wetlands are also experiencing the worst degradation, with <a href=\"https://www.ramsar.org/news/75-of-earths-land-areas-are-degraded-wetlands-have-been-hit-hardest-with-87-lost-globally-in\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(250, 250, 250);\">87 percent</a> lost globally in the last 300 years. "

"The imperative to feed a growing global population and drive industrial development is increasing competition for scarce water resources. If consumption trends continue as projected, the world will need to increase food production by more than <a href=\"https://research.wri.org/wrr-food\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;\">50 percent</a> to feed nearly 10 billion people adequately in 2050. Global water demand is projected to increase by <a href=\"https://www.oecd.org/env/indicators-modelling-outlooks/49844953.pdf\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">55 percent</a> between 2000 and 2050."

Water will also be the primary way people experience climate change. A warmer atmosphere will create more intense weather patterns and reduce snow and ice. Water supplies will become less predictable and damage from droughts and floods more severe. Parts of the world are projected to dry out, while others will receive more rain.

"Water- and weather-related disasters are already the most significant such events, accounting for <a href=\"https://www.unisdr.org/2015/docs/climatechange/COP21_WeatherDisastersReport_2015_FINAL.pdf\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;\">60 percent</a> of disaster damage, or over US$ 250 billion per year between 2005 and 2015. Absent any action, river flood damage may increase <a href=\"https://www.nature.com/articles/nclimate2893?message-global=remove\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;\">20-fold</a> between 2010 and 2080. "

Water- and weather-related disasters are already the most significant such events, accounting for <a href="https://www.unisdr.org/2015/docs/climatechange/COP21_WeatherDisastersReport_2015_FINAL.pdf" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">60 percent</a> of disaster damage, or over US$ 250 billion per year between 2005 and 2015. Absent any action, river flood damage may increase <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/nclimate2893?message-global=remove" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">20-fold</a> between 2010 and 2080.

Historical records of precipitation, streamflow and drought indices as well as analyses of model-simulated soil moisture, drought indices, and evapotranspiration all suggest <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/nclimate1633" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">increased risk of drought</a> across many land areas in the twenty-first century.

"Better water management can ensure that we have sufficient water for people, agriculture, and industry, while protecting environmental resources. More efficient water systems, such as drip irrigation, can enable greater production with less water. ﻿Natural infrastructure, such as forests and wetlands, cleans and regulates water supplies. These ecosystem services can compliment or replace built infrastructure, improving water quality and reducing flood risk, sometimes <a href=\"https://www.wri.org/blog/2019/08/insider-green-infrastructure-can-save-water-suppliers-money-now-you-can-estimate-how\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;\">at lower cost</a>."

"In our own lives, the most significant way to save water is to eat lower on the food chain. Producing daily food for an average omnivore European diet consumes nearly <a href=\"http://waterfootprint.org/media/downloads/Vanham-et-al-2013_2.pdf\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">4,200 liters</a> of water, while an equivalent vegetarian diet requires 2,600 liters. Even a <a href=\"https://research.wri.org/wrr-food\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">small shift</a> from beef to other protein sources can save an enormous amount of water, as each kg of beef takes over <a href=\"http://waterfootprint.org/media/downloads/Report-48-WaterFootprint-AnimalProducts-Vol1_1.pdf\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">15,000 liters</a> of water to produce."

In our own lives, the most significant way to save water is to eat lower on the food chain. Producing daily food for an average omnivore European diet consumes nearly <a href="http://waterfootprint.org/media/downloads/Vanham-et-al-2013_2.pdf" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;">4,200 liters</a> of water, while an equivalent vegetarian diet requires 2,600 liters. Even a <a href="http://www.wri.org/publication/shifting-diets" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;">small shift</a> from beef to other protein sources can save an enormous amount of water, as each kg of beef takes over <a href="http://waterfootprint.org/media/downloads/Report-48-WaterFootprint-AnimalProducts-Vol1_1.pdf" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;">15,000 liters</a> of water to produce.

"Around the world, countries, companies, and civil society groups are committed to sustainable water management. The United Nations' <a href=\"https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/water-and-sanitation/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Sustainable Development Goal 6</a> aims to ensure the availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all. Global coordination, and local action, will be necessary to achieve this goal, and boost water security worldwide."

Around the world, countries, companies, and civil society groups are committed to sustainable water management. The United Nations' Sustainable Development Goal 6 aims to ensure the availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all. Global coordination, and local action, will be necessary to achieve this goal, and boost water security worldwide.

Water

Freshwater is vital for all life on Earth. Clean, reliable water supplies are essential to food production, power generation, and industrial production. Freshwater ecosystems, such as lakes, rivers, wetlands, and deltas also play an important role in supporting the planet’s biodiversity. 

Resource Watch

Water

Freshwater is vital for all life on Earth. Clean, reliable water supplies are essential to food production, power generation, and industrial production. Freshwater ecosystems, such as lakes, rivers, wetlands, and deltas also play an important role in supporting the planet’s biodiversity.

Data

Dashboards

Blog

About

Get Involved