Quote: "There are two types of water scarcity namely physical and economic water scarcity."
The study of the decreasing availability of freshwater due to climate change, pollution, and overuse, and its effects on agriculture, energy, and public health.
Water Scarcity: Understanding the basics of water scarcity is the first step towards understanding water geopolitics. This includes understanding factors that contribute to water scarcity, such as climate change, population growth, urbanization, and overconsumption.
Causes of Water Scarcity: Exploring the various causes of water scarcity, e.g. economic, political, social, and environmental drivers, helps to put the issue in context and highlight the complexity of the problem.
Consequences of Water Scarcity: Understanding the consequences of water scarcity, such as increased conflicts, migration, food insecurity, and water-borne diseases, can help individuals and policymakers recognize the importance of addressing the issue.
Water Management: This topic covers the various water management techniques, e.g. water conservation, water reuse, wastewater treatment, and desalination, that can help address the issue of water scarcity.
Water Governance: Exploring how water is governed at different levels, e.g. international, national, regional, and local, and understanding the policies, institutions, and regulations that shape water management practices is important in addressing water scarcity.
Water Security: This topic covers the various dimensions of water security, including access, availability, and quality, and how they relate to water scarcity and geopolitical issues.
Water Cooperation and Diplomacy: This topic explores the role of cooperation, negotiation, and diplomacy in addressing water scarcity and preventing conflicts between different countries and regions.
Water Ethics: This topic deals with the moral and ethical challenges of managing water resources in a fair and equitable manner, and the roles and responsibilities of different stakeholders, from individuals to governments and multinational corporations.
Water and Climate Change: Understanding the relationship between water scarcity and climate change, and exploring the potential impact of global warming on water resources, is important in addressing water scarcity.
Water and Energy: Analyzing the interdependence between water and energy, and understanding the role of water in power generation, is crucial in addressing water scarcity and mitigating climate change.
Water and Food Security: Understanding the relationship between water and food security, and exploring the impact of water scarcity on agriculture and food production, is important in addressing water scarcity.
Sustainable Development: Exploring the linkages between water scarcity, sustainable development, and the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), helps to highlight the importance of integrated planning and multi-stakeholder collaboration in addressing the issue.
Physical water scarcity: This occurs when there is a lack of water resources due to inadequate precipitation or low water availability due to competing demands.
Economic water scarcity: This occurs when water resources are limited, but water is not accessible because of financial, institutional, or technical limitations.
Social water scarcity: This occurs when access to adequate water supplies is limited by social factors like poverty, gender inequality, caste, or social barriers.
Institutional water scarcity: This occurs when policies, laws, and regulations limit access to water resources, leading to water scarcity.
Water quality scarcity: This occurs when water resources are available, but they are unusable because of pollution, contamination, or inadequate treatment.
Transboundary water scarcity: This occurs when water resources are shared between nations, and each country may have a different approach to conserving and using water resources.
Water scarcity due to climate change: Climate change is changing precipitation patterns and causing more frequent, intense droughts, and water scarcity.
Water scarcity due to conflict and political instability: This occurs when water resources are a source of conflict or when there is political instability that affects access to water resources.
Agricultural water scarcity: This occurs when agricultural production is affected by water scarcity, leading to food shortages, famine, and hunger.
Urban water scarcity: This occurs when urban populations grow and demand for water increases, leading to competition for limited resources.
Quote: "Arid areas for example Central and West Asia, and North Africa often experience physical water scarcity."
Quote: "Economic water scarcity on the other hand, is the result of lack of investment in infrastructure or technology to draw water from rivers, aquifers, or other water sources."
Quote: "Much of Sub-Saharan Africa experience economic water scarcity."
Quote: "The main drivers of the increase in global water demand are the increasing world population, rise in living conditions, changing diets (to more animal products), and expansion of irrigated agriculture."
Quote: "Climate change (including droughts or floods), deforestation, water pollution and wasteful use of water can also cause insufficient water supply."
Quote: "Scarcity varies over time as a result of natural variability in hydrology. These variations in scarcity may also be a function of prevailing economic policy and planning approaches."
Quote: "Water scarcity assessments need to incorporate information on green water (soil moisture), water quality, environmental flow requirements, globalization, and virtual water trade."
Quote: ""Water stress" has been used as parameter to measure water scarcity, for example in the context of Sustainable Development Goal 6."
Quote: "Half a billion people live in areas with severe water scarcity throughout the year."
Quote: "Around four billion people face severe water scarcity at least one month per year."
Quote: "Half of the world's largest cities experience water scarcity."
Quote: "There are 2.3 billion people who reside in nations with water scarcities."
Quote: "Each individual receives less than 1 700 m3 of water annually."
Quote: "380 billion m3 of municipal wastewater are produced globally each year."
Quote: "Reducing water scarcity requires supply and demand side management, cooperation between countries and water conservation (including prevention of water pollution)."
Quote: "It also requires expanding sources of usable water (through wastewater reuse or desalination) and virtual water trade."
Quote: "There is a need for collaboration between hydrological, water quality, aquatic ecosystem science and social science communities in water scarcity assessment."
Quote: "Water scarcity assessments need to incorporate information on green water (soil moisture), water quality, environmental flow requirements, globalization, and virtual water trade."
Quote: "Reducing water scarcity requires supply and demand side management, cooperation between countries and water conservation (including prevention of water pollution)."