In the coming decades, water scarcity may become one of the world’s major problems. Freshwater scarcity will continue to grow due to the irrational use of this valuable resource, its pollution, population growth and rapid climate change.
The cause for concern is not related to the shortage of salty seawater, which covers 70% of the planet’s surface. The problem concerns the fresh H2O we use for drinking, bathing and agriculture. The supply of usable freshwater is only 3% of the planet’s total water supply, and most of it is stored in ice and glaciers.
Climate change is increasing the frequency and severity of droughts, which are a major factor in the global water scarcity crisis. The agricultural industry uses nearly 70 per cent of the total freshwater supply. With projected global population growth, the demand for food and therefore water will increase in the next decades.
