The world is facing increasingly severe droughts and floods. A new report indicates the first-ever global imbalance in the water cycle in human history.
On Thursday, October 17th, the Global Commission on the Economy of Water (GCEW) released an assessment report blaming the imbalance of the water cycle on decades of poor collective water management and neglect.
The GCEW, convened by the Dutch government with assistance from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), composed of 38 of the world’s wealthiest countries headquartered in Paris, France.
The report highlights that years of mismanagement have damaged our freshwater and land ecosystems, leading to ongoing water pollution.
“We can no longer rely on freshwater supply to sustain our common future,” the report states. “Unsafe water sources and sanitation facilities lead to over 1,000 deaths of children under 5 years old every day. Women and girls spend 200 million hours each day collecting and carrying water. The food system is depleting freshwater, and cities are sinking due to groundwater depletion.”
The water cycle refers to the movement of water on the Earth’s surface and in the atmosphere, including processes such as evaporation and precipitation.
The report explains freshwater on land can be categorized as “blue water” and “green water.” Water in rivers, lakes, and groundwater is “blue water,” while water in soil and vegetation is referred to as “green water.”
Green water returns to the atmosphere through plant transpiration and eventually falls back as rain or snow, infiltrating soil and flowing into rivers, lakes, and groundwater, forming the water cycle. Rainfall generated by green water accounts for about half of all land rainfall.
The movement of green water, known as terrestrial moisture flows, sometimes crosses thousands of kilometers. This also means that deforestation in one region may affect rainfall in other areas.
Stable rainfall and groundwater levels are not only crucial for agricultural production but also serve as a significant foundation for industrial and other economic activities. Disruption of the water cycle may increase the frequency of droughts and floods worldwide.
The report states that approximately two-thirds of the global population resides in areas where total water storage is decreasing, with over one-third (38%) living in regions where water storage is rapidly declining. Populous regions, including northwest India, northeast China, Southern and Eastern Europe, are particularly vulnerable.
The report also predicts that without changes to current practices, there will be “severe” economic impacts, potentially causing an average 8% contraction in the GDP of high-income countries by 2050 and a 10% to 15% contraction in low-income countries.