npj Clean Water· 2019Q1
Reassessing the projections of the World Water Development Report
- 2,511citations
- Q1SCImago
- 2019year
Short summary
The UN's projection of 6 billion people facing water scarcity by 2050 may be an underestimate, as current models inadequately account for population and economic growth, pollution, and unequal resource distribution.
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Key points
- UN's 2050 water scarcity projection (6 billion people) may be too low.
- Underestimation stems from undervaluing population/economic growth, pollution, and unequal access.
- Current approaches favor nature-based solutions without addressing root causes.
- Urgent need for regulation of demography, economy, and pollution is emphasized.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Abstract
Abstract The 2018 edition of the United Nations World Water Development Report stated that nearly 6 billion peoples will suffer from clean water scarcity by 2050. This is the result of increasing demand for water, reduction of water resources, and increasing pollution of water, driven by dramatic population and economic growth. It is suggested that this number may be an underestimation, and scarcity of clean water by 2050 may be worse as the effects of the three drivers of water scarcity, as well as of unequal growth, accessibility and needs, are underrated. While the report promotes the spontaneous adoption of nature-based-solutions within an unconstrained population and economic expansion, there is an urgent need to regulate demography and economy, while enforcing clear rules to limit pollution, preserve aquifers and save water, equally applying everywhere. The aim of this paper is to highlight the inter-linkage in between population and economic growth and water demand, resources and pollution, that ultimately drive water scarcity, and the relevance of these aspects in local, rather than global, perspective, with a view to stimulating debate.
The authors' abstract, as published at the source. npj Clean Water, 2019 · DOI ↗
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Field: Ocean Engineering
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