According to a recent report, the world’s water cycles are out of balance for “the first time in history.”
The Global Commission on the Economics of Water (made up of experts from around the world) attributed the imbalances to “decades of collective undervaluation and mismanagement of water.”
The report states, “Our collective future cannot be based on the availability of freshwater.”
The water cycle includes the processes of water evaporation, precipitation, and movement in the Earth’s atmosphere and ground.
The commission is affiliated with the Dutch government and is supported by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), a grouping of the richest nations in the world.
The report stated that every day, 1,000 children aged under 5 years die from diseases related to unclean water and sanitation.
The report said that cities are sinking due to the drying up of aquifers below them and food systems are also running out.
This could get worse: more than half the world’s agricultural production is located in areas where water supply is expected to decrease.
The report also predicted “severe economic impacts” if current practices do not change. Climate change and these issues could have a combined impact of 8% on the gross domestic products of high-income nations in 2050 and 10-15% for lower-income nations.
