Amid the aftermath of the hottest July on record, the spotlight remains on the escalating temperature trend. However, an equally vital facet of climate change, water, stands prominently at the

center of all concerns.

The natural water cycle is undergoing transformations, leading to both excessive downpours and severe droughts. Its scarcity as a resource is growing, a predicament aggravated by intensifying heatwaves that amplify the necessity for this essential element by both human populations and ecosystems. In light of this, the World Resources Institute (WRI) asserts that the world confronts an unparalleled water crisis, exacerbated by the effects of climate change.

WRI, a renowned US-based international research institution with specialization in environmental matters, collaborated with the Aqueduct program, an alliance comprising research centers, universities, governments, and businesses, to release an atlas on August 16. This publication unequivocally illuminates existing and anticipated water shortages.

Approximately four billion individuals—nearly half of the global population—already grapple with "high" water stress for at least one month annually. As per the analysis conducted by WRI and Aqueduct, which evaluated data spanning from 1979 to 2019, this figure could escalate to nearly 60% by 2050. "High" stress denotes that a minimum of 60% of available water resources are utilized, ushering in localized competition among diverse water users. The scarcity issue is predicted to exacerbate unless a comprehensive proactive policy approach is enacted.

At present, 25 countries confront "extremely high" stress, characterized by a scenario where the discrepancy between water consumption and reserves reaches a minimum of 80%. Bahrain, Cyprus, Kuwait, Lebanon, and Oman are particularly susceptible, with Chile, Greece, and Tunisia also ranking high. South Asia witnesses 74% of its population exposed to exceedingly high water stress. Meanwhile, in the Middle East and North Africa, 83% of the populace feels its impact. Modeling suggests that by 2050, the entire population in these regions might encounter these challenges. Photo by Davide Restivo from Aarau, Switzerland, Wikimedia commons.