Water

• [New] China's ambitious 'Sky River' programme could eventually divert 5 billion cubic meters of water annually across regions, which could protect millions of people from the effects of drought and water scarcity.
• [New] By 2025, 2 billion people will experience water scarcity, and two-thirds of the world's population will experience some degree of water stress.
• [New] The waters of the Great Barrier Reef will likely experience summer averages close to or even in excess of 31 °C by the end of the century.
• [New] A US$ 60 million global campaign launched in 2006 promised that harnessing children's energy at play could bring clean drinking water to ten million people in sub-Saharan Africa within four years.
• [New] In the next few years, L'Oreal Water Saver is anticipated to be in thousands of salons, at which point it will have the potential for remarkable water savings - up to one billion gallons of water per year.
• [New] The UK will now be an independent coastal state with full control of waters and the fishing industry will be supported by a £100m programme to modernise.
• [New] Iranian Energy Minister Reza Ardakanian has announced that the population in the rural regions which enjoy stable drinking water supply will reach 10.2 million by the end of the current government's incumbency (August).
• Cities are projected to grow by 2.5 billion people by 2050, which means more demand for water, solid waste and wastewater management - all while dealing with more climate stress.
• Rising sea levels are threatening the Pacific Paradise - Tuvalu MUNiSC 2021 Economic and Social Council MUNiSC occurring, people are suffering from a lack of water.
• Water around the Great Barrier Reef will reach average temperatures of 31 degrees Celsius during summers by the end of the century.
• With rising sea levels from global warming, the total water surface area of planet Earth is expected to increase dramatically in the coming years.
• With nearly two-thirds of the world's population expected to face water shortages by 2025, water scarcity presents a growing risk for businesses and communities around the world.
• The 14 markets that constitute the Ocean Panel, including Canada, Australia, and Japan, have pledged to sustainably manage 100% of the ocean area according to the national jurisdiction by 2025.
• Under the terms of the Brexit trade deal, boats from France and the rest of the EU can still fish in British water but over the next five-and-a-half years a quarter of their quota will be handed over to the UK.
• As scarcity becomes a greater issue around the globe, the water treatment field is expected to become worth more than approximately $38 billion by the year 2025.
• Depending on the degree of global warming in the future, the water level could fall by 9 to 18 meters during this century.
• The interim fisheries regulation would continue until the end of 2021, but it provides for continued reciprocal access by EU and UK vessels to each other's waters.
• Examining actions to protect marine life over the past decade, the European court of auditors raised a red flag warning the EU had failed to halt marine biodiversity loss in Europe's waters and restore fishing to sustainable levels.
• The U.S. alone will need to invest $4.5 trillion over the next 5 years for infrastructure upgrades to water, energy, public roads, transportation, exporters and more.
• Nearly half the world's population, around 3.6 billion people, face water-scarcity for at least one month per year, and it is expected that over 5 billion people will suffer some water shortage by 2050.
• By 2050 nearly half of the world population will live in water stressed regions, due to either arid conditions or lack of access to clean water.

Last updated: 24 January 2021