Water facts

780 million people live without clean drinking water.

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More than one-third of Africa’s population lacks access to safe drinking water.

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Compared to today, five times as much land is likely to be under “extreme drought” by 2050.

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Unless measures are taken, California will demand three times more groundwater than can be supplied over the next 100 years.

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Water is life

Water scarcity is the biggest threat for humanity

More than two billion people worldwide rely on wells for their water.

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25-33% of Chinese do not haThere will be about 1 billion more mouths to feed worldwide by 2025 and global agriculture alone will require another 1 trillion cubic meters of water per year (equal to the annual flow of 20 Niles or 100 Colorado Rivers).ve access to safe drinking water.

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25-33% of Chinese do not have access to safe drinking water.

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By 2035, the world’s energy consumption will increase by 35 percent, which in turn will increase water use by 15 percent according to the International Energy Agency.

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In 2050 increased population will result in a 19% increase in agricultural water consumption.

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Water demand is projected to grow by 55 percent by 2050 (including a 400-percent rise in manufacturing water demand).

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46% of the globe’s (terrestrial) surface is covered by transboundary river basins which can lead to future conflicts over water.

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Agriculture accounts for ~70% of global freshwater withdrawals and up to 90% in some fast-growing economies.

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According to satellite images, the Colorado River Basin has lost about 65 cubic kilometers (15.6 cubic miles) of water from 2004 to 2013. This is twice the amount stored in Lake Mead.

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Water, in combination with land, air, and energy, is the foundation of life, societies and economies

Water is the primary and essential need of every living organism.

In the US, thermoelectric power plants account for nearly 50% of all freshwater withdrawals.

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For decades the Ogallala Aquifer in the United States, one of the world’s largest aquifers, has tapped at rates thousands of times greater than it is being restored.

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About 4.5 billion people globally – already live within 50km of an “impaired” water resource – one that is running dry, or polluted.

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Over the past 40 years the world’s population has doubled and use of water has quadrupled.

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Sub-Saharan Africa has the largest number of water-stressed countries of any region.

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While it takes about 12 gallons per day to sustain a human the average American uses about 158 gallons.

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According to the U.S. Intelligence Community Assessment of Global Water Security, by 2030 humanity’s “annual global water requirements” will exceed “current sustainable water supplies” by 40%.

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Four billion people — almost two thirds of the world’s population — experience severe water scarcity for at least one month each year.

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Desalination plants dispose toxic brine into the sea

HIgh-salt-content brine endangers ocean life

By 2040, roughly 1 in 4 children worldwide will be living in areas of extremely high water stress.

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Some 700 million people could be displaced by intense water scarcity by 2030.

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Over two billion people live in countries where water supply is inadequate.

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Half of the world’s population could be living in areas facing water scarcity by as early as 2025.

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