Climate change will cause almost half the world’s population to be affected by water stress, according to a new report from the UN released this month at the annual World Water Forum in Istanbul. Political and business leaders must increase their investment in water infrastructure, the report urges, or risk having economic activity and development goals being seriously undermined.

The World Water Development report warned that the combination of climate change, population growth, and increased demand for food, energy and biofuels would cause 47 per cent of the global population to live in areas of high water stress in little more than two decades. Furthermore, Koïchiro Matsuura, director general of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESC) warned that water scarcity could become an “insurmountable” issue if urgent action is not taken quickly to put proper water infrastructure in place.
For more information on The World Water Development report, see UN press release more..