The world is depleting its freshwater far faster than nature can replace it, pushing many regions into “water bankruptcy,” according to a new report from the United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health (UNU-INWEH).
The report compares Earth’s hydrological system to a household’s finances. Rivers, rainfall and snow represent annual income, while glaciers, wetlands and aquifers are long-term savings. Many regions have withdrawn too much water from both the “income” and “savings” accounts, leading to a water bankruptcy.
“This report tells an uncomfortable truth: many regions are living beyond their hydrological means, and many critical water systems are already bankrupt,” lead author Keveh Madani said in a statement.
Many water systems have been overdrawn for more than 50 years, the report finds. Roughly 70% of large aquifers show long-term decline while 30% of glacier mass has been lost since the 1970s due to a warming climate. Some mountains in low and mid latitudes are expected to lose their glaciers completely in the coming decades, meaning the rivers they feed won’t be replenished.
When glaciers melt and aquifers are pumped dry, those resources can’t be replaced in a human timescale. Scientists have long warned of a global water crisis, but water bankruptcy is the post-crisis stage of irreversible damage to water systems. “The language of crisis — suggesting a temporary emergency followed by a return to normal through mitigation efforts — no longer captures what is happening in many parts of the world,” the report authors note.
Agriculture accounts for roughly 70% of freshwater withdrawal, the report finds. Compounding the problem: more than half the world’s agricultural land is degraded, which makes it difficult for soil to retain moisture to begin with. Water scarcity is also increasing due to severe climate change-driven droughts.
Freshwater scarcity can have wide-ranging effects, from declining public health to political instability. “Water bankruptcy can destabilize societies: it undermines farming and jobs, raises food prices, strains cities, and fuels grievance when cuts feel unfair. Conflict risk rises when scarcity combines with weak governance, inequality, and distrust,” Madani told Mongabay by email. Drought and water scarcity are already pushing internal migration in sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia and Latin America, the report notes.
Roughly 4 billion people experience severe water scarcity for at least one month each year. As with many environmental challenges, the poor and most vulnerable suffer the first and hardest impacts of water bankruptcy. “The benefits of unsustainable extraction and pollution often accrue to more powerful users, while the costs are socialized,” Madani said.
Despite the dire findings, “the report is not a statement of hopelessness,” Madani added. “Declaring bankruptcy is not about giving up, it is about starting fresh. By acknowledging the reality of water bankruptcy, we can finally make the hard choices that will protect people, economies, and ecosystems. The longer we delay, the deeper the deficit grows.”
Banner image of Squam Lake in New Hampshire, U.S., by Bobby Bascomb/Mongabay.
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