UN declares global water bankruptcy and calls for a new approach

The UN report describes a 'post-crisis' era of global water bankruptcy and reports that about 75 percent of people live in water-insecure countries while 3.5 billion lack safely managed clean water.

The United Nations says the term "water crisis" no longer captures the global situation and describes a "post-crisis" era of global water bankruptcy. The report attributes the change to long-term losses of natural water, deforestation, pollution and global warming. It highlights large drops in lake and wetland extent and growing reliance on groundwater for domestic use. The UN is urging world leaders to recognize this shift and adopt science-backed, long-term responses. Key points: - The UN report labels current conditions as a "post-crisis" era of global water bankruptcy and reports many water systems are irreversibly degraded. - About 75 percent of people live in countries classed as water-insecure or critically water-insecure, and an estimated 3.5 billion people lack safely managed clean water. - The report notes losses including that half of the world's largest lakes have lost water since the early 1990s, 410 million hectares of natural wetlands have been lost in the past five decades, and roughly 50 percent of global domestic water now comes from groundwater. - The UN urges leaders to elevate water issues in climate negotiations and to embed water-bankruptcy monitoring and science-based planning into global frameworks. Summary: The report frames widespread, possibly irreversible degradation of water systems as a global condition with broad human and ecological implications. The UN is asking leaders to move from short-term crisis management toward science-backed, long-term monitoring and policy responses. Implementation by specific governments and timelines are undetermined at this time.