The United Nations has issued a stark warning about the increasingly erratic nature of the world’s water cycle, a ‘distress signal’ of the profound impact of climate change. With extreme floods, droughts, and melting glaciers on the rise, the global water crisis is intensifying. This blog delves into the alarming trends and the critical need to monitor and manage our water resources more effectively. Water cycle, Climate change, Hydrology
Early Harbingers of an Era of Climate Change: More Frequent and More Extreme Flooding and Drought.
The World Meteorological Organization says that in 2019, rivers were at their lowest levels for more than three decades —with the record low levels attracting a number of bodies to float downriver including this fly-covered cow— while glaciers lost their most mass since 1946. Add to that, an “significant” number of global floods These floods and droughts, both the result of natural climate modes yet pockmarked by anthropogenic climate variability, are stark symptoms of desynchronized Earth water cycle.
Warmer temperatures mean more moisture in the atmosphere, which tends to fall as heavier rainfall and leads to even bigger floods in some places On the other hand, this warming trend is also effectively worsening drought conditions by increasing rates of evaporation and soil drying. It is these oscillations between dry spells and floods that are causing untold suffering to people, ecosystems and economies – such as the catastrophic floods devastating Africa where thousands have lost their lives.
Scarcity of Fresh Water: A Matter that Disturbs
The UN report also raised alarm about the rising world water crisis, with currently 3.6 billion people around the globe not having fresh water in hand at least once a month per year. And with many of the world’s largest reserves in a state of decline — due to below-average inflows into reservoirs across parts of the globe during the last half decade — they say this month could mark a tipping point when water-rich countries start to look at their resources differently.
The melting of ice in glaciers is an unprecedented record with a loss of more than 600 billion tonnes of water — the worst in 50 years of observation. This loss of ice from glaciers threatens the water security of millions of people, particularly those in mountain regions such as our neighbors to the north. But even with a fresh warning, the report still ominously states that ‘we are not taking the necessary urgent action to avoid crossing these boundaries.
Water Infrastructure and Conservation Investment Act
Better monitoring and early warning systems are vital to mitigate the dangers associated with the increasing volume of water. They also recommend that infrastructure supporting humans or maintaining water resources be in place to mitigate hazards, such as through the construction of dams and flood control systems.
A second key element of this is the push to save water, notably in farming where 70% of fresh water consumption worldwide occurs. Increasing the water-use efficiency and sustainable agriculture practices could reduce stress on water resources substantially.
The report concludes, ultimately, that ‘the only thing we can do is stabilize the climate which is a generational challenge. This highlights the imperative of international collaboration and united action to tackle climate change at its roots, in order for a more sustainable water future for everyone.
