The world is now using so much fresh water amid the consequences of climate change that it has entered an era of water bankruptcy, with many regions no longer able to bounce back from frequent water shortages.
About 4 billion people – nearly half the global population – live with severe water scarcity for at least one month a year, without access to sufficient water to meet all of their needs. Many more people are seeing the consequences of water deficit: dry reservoirs, sinking cities, crop failures, water rationing and more frequent wildfires and dust storms in drying regions.
Water bankruptcy signs are everywhere, from Tehran, where droughts and unsustainable water use have depleted reservoirs the Iranian capital relies on, adding fuel to political tensions, to the U.S., where water demand has outstripped the supply in the Colorado River, a crucial source of drinking water and irrigation for seven states.
A woman fills containers with water from a well. cows are behind her on a dry landscape.
Water bankruptcy is not just a metaphor for water deficit. It is a chronic condition that develops when a place uses more water than nature can reliably replace, and when the damage to the natural assets that store and filter that water, such as aquifers and wetlands, becomes hard to reverse.
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The sad part is that those who are most affected by it are the least responsible for causing it. Right now, most of the problems are in third world countries, so the West turns a blind eye. Next it'll be our poor people too, and the rich won't bat an eye. And by the time the problem reaches them too, they'll already have their own solutions. Sucks to see, sucks even more to just let it happen. So, if you think this is depressing, be part of the change you want to see! Even just using one liter of water less per day can have a big impact if enough people do it, and if that's not your cup of tea, there's also a multitude of initiatives you can support or donate to.