A recent report highlights that the Earth's water cycles are now under unprecedented stress due to decades of water mismanagement, deforestation, and the fossil fuel-driven crisis of global warming. This disruption, warned by the Global Commission on the Economics of Water—which includes global experts—is occurring for the first time in human history. The report emphasizes the need for policymakers to urgently consider the hydrological cycle as a global common good, deeply linked with climate and biodiversity crises.
The water cycle describes the perpetual movement of water between the oceans, land, and atmosphere, and its imbalance threatens equitable and sustainable water access for all. Rising temperatures and pollution from fossil fuels and industrial impacts are leading contributors to this crisis. To address this, a new economic model for water is essential, treating water as a connector across nations through atmospheric flows and not just local bodies. Mismanagement and undervaluation have already damaged freshwater and land ecosystems globally.
Today, more than 1,000 children die daily from diseases stemming from unsafe drinking water, and over half of global food production occurs in regions anticipating diminishing water supplies. The report stresses the urgency for a new water governance approach at all levels, ensuring efficient governance, just access, and ecosystem sustainability. Tharman Shanmugaratnam, co-chair of the commission, urges radical rethinking of freshwater preservation and efficient usage to ensure access for all communities, including vulnerable ones.
Currently, a significant portion of the $700 billion in annual water and agricultural subsidies benefits wealthier individuals and industries rather than those in need. Experts like Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala call for better-targeted subsidies to support poorer communities. If current water resource stress continues, it could reduce GDP by an average of 8% in wealthier nations and by up to 15% in lower-income countries by 2050. Green water, crucial for ecological balance and carbon sequestration, suffers from this stress, exacerbating severe droughts, floods, and other climate impacts globally.
The commission mapped these global water exchanges at an animated storytelling platform, showing how interconnected and impactful water management is beyond local scales. The report outlines key missions for tackling the global water crisis: revolutionizing food systems to enhance agricultural water efficiency; conserving key habitats to protect green water; establishing a circular water economy; fostering a low-water-intensive clean energy era; and ensuring that unsafe water does not claim any children's lives by 2030 through reliable water supply and sanitation for underserved communities.
Notably, the interconnectedness of global water systems is shown in examples like China's reliance on sustainable forest management in Ukraine, Kazakhstan, and the Baltic region, or Brazil's role in providing freshwater to Argentina. Freshwater must be positioned as a global common resource within our economies, reflecting its importance and interconnected nature across nations.
