Water resources are already rapidly becoming one of the key challenges of the 21st century due to climate change, rising populations, and poor management. The United Nations estimates that over 2 billion people currently live in high-water stress countries, a number that could reach nearly 4 billion by 2050 if current trends continue [1]. As droughts become longer and freshwater sources shrink, the global crisis around water security is nearing a breaking point.
Climate Change and the Hydrological Cycle
Climate change has increased the speed of the hydrological cycle, resulting in a greater frequency of weather extremes. Regions once considered water-secure are currently experiencing seasons with extreme droughts and deviations from known rainfall patterns. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), nearly half (50%) of the world's population will live in water-scarce conditions by 2030, largely because of alterations to precipitation and glacier melt (2).
According to new information, Lake Chad has lost over 90 percent of its volume over a period of 60 years in Africa. This has affected the water security of millions of people relying on the water basin for their agricultural activity and safe drinking water sources [3].
In the American southwest, the area is experiencing its worst drought in 1,200 years, which has placed additional stress on the Colorado River system that provides water for 40 million people [4].
Socio-Economic Impacts of Water Scarcity
Water shortages cause greater social and economic instability. Around 70% of global freshwater withdrawals occur for agriculture, which means water extremes exacerbate food security challenges. When water is limited, crop yields will decline, food prices will rise, and the negative impacts of poverty will be magnified, causing the greatest impact for the most vulnerable groups [5].
Water scarcity increases geopolitical strife. Transboundary rivers, such as the Nile, Tigris-Euphrates, and Mekong, have historically been a source of conflict, as upstream states construct dams and/or start diversions that can hinder downstream access [6]. Where disputes over water supplies exist, the risk is regional social unrest and instability in the absence of cooperative transboundary water governance.
The Need for Resilience and Adaptation
The response to water crises must involve combined approaches involving technology, governance, and people. New and emergent technologies are already supporting the adaptive response to water crises, like new irrigation systems, waste-water reuse, and desalination. For example, Israel is a leader in water technology, and recycles roughly 90% of its wastewater, demonstrating appropriate action for water stewardship [7].
Also important is international cooperation. The United Nations 1997 Watercourses Convention provides a legal basis for cooperation about shared watercourses; however, it is diminished by the limited number of parties that have ratified the treaty. There needs to be more multilateral agreements and more trust between riparian states to manage, or at least to relieve the mounting demand and competition for constrained water resources.
What is to come?
Climate change is accelerating, and populations are growing, and there will continue to be a critical need for freshwater. The world needs to maintain investment in adaptive infrastructure and sustainable water management policies, and water security must be a priority in climate adaptation planning; otherwise risks creating a future where clean water is a right of the privileged only.
References:
[1] United Nations, “World Water Development Report,” 2024
[2] IPCC Sixth Assessment Report, 2023
[3] NASA Earth Observatory, “Lake Chad Crisis,” 2025
[4] U.S. Drought Monitor, “American Southwest Drought,” 2025
[5] Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), “Water Use in Agriculture,” 2023
[6] International Crisis Group, “Water Conflicts and Diplomacy,” 2024
[7] Israel Ministry of Environmental Protection, “Wastewater Recycling Statistics,” 2024
[8] Illustration by Axios