By 2030, demand for fresh water will exceed supply by 40% – experts warned of the threat

On the eve of the UN summit on water resources, several experts at once warned of a great threat to humanity.

The world is facing an imminent water crisis and demand for fresh water is expected to exceed supply by 40% by the end of this decade.

The Guardian writes about it.

According to the report, governments must urgently stop subsidizing extraction and overuse of water due to improper agricultural subsidies, and the industry must completely reconsider its wasteful practices, experts said on the eve of an important UN water summit.

Over $700 billion in subsidies worldwide go to agriculture and water each year, and this often contributes to excessive water consumption.

Johan Rockström, director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Research and co-chair of the Global Commission on the Economics of Water, and lead author of the report, said that neglecting the issue of water leads to disaster.

“Scientific evidence shows that we are in a water crisis. We are misusing water, polluting it and changing the entire global hydrological cycle because of what we do with the climate. This is a triple crisis,” he said.

In his opinion, states should start to manage water as a global common good, because most countries are highly dependent on their neighbors for water supply, and overuse, pollution and the climate crisis threaten water resources around the world.

The report makes seven key recommendations, including changing global water management, increasing investment in water management through public-private partnerships, proper water pricing, and establishing “equitable water partnerships” to attract funding for water projects in developing countries.

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