Weather & Science
Water ‘Bankruptcy’ Era Has Begun for Billions, Scientists Say
Stress and scarcity aren’t strong enough terms to capture the water crisis facing much of the world, according to a new UN report.
The Jaguari-Jacarei dam during a drought in Joanopolis, Sao Paulo state, Brazil, on Dec. 12.
Photographer: Nelson Almeida/AFP/Getty ImagesA new era has begun of “global water bankruptcy,” with humans depleting freshwater systems to the point they can’t recover, according to a new United Nations report.
Three-quarters of the world’s population — about 6.1 billion people — now live in countries where freshwater supplies are insecure or critically insecure, according to the report, published Tuesday by UN University’s Institute for Water, Environment and Health. Four billion people face severe water scarcity for at least one month a year.