The study points out that most parts of the underdeveloped countries will soon fall into a state of extreme water shortage, and that there is very limited scope to alleviate the problem.
With the aggravation of climate change, pollution and other issues and the excessive development of resources, the next two generations will face extremely severe water shortage problems.
According to the British "Guardian", on May 23, more than 500 experts worldwide warned in Bonn, Germany, that the world's water resources are about to reach a tipping point, "it is likely to cause irreversible changes and bring potentially catastrophic as a result of". Experts also called on governments to attach importance to the protection of water resources.
Pian scholars believe that the past concept of water resources as a renewable resource that will not be exhausted, but this is incorrect. Because, in many cases, people are so abstracting groundwater that it cannot be recovered for generations to come.
Charles, Professor of Global Cooperative Remote Sensing Science and Technology Center? Charles V? R? Smarty said: "We found that the water crisis has reached a critical point, and about 1 billion people now rely on surface water that can no longer be used as a renewable water source."
At present, the water sources within 50 kilometers around the world where about 4.5 billion people live are unhealthy, and these water sources are either polluted or depleted. If this trend continues, there will be more people without water.
This threat is amazing. Climate change is likely to be the cause of the increasing frequency and intensity of disasters such as droughts, floods, heat waves and storms. Nitrogen nutrients released into the ocean from agricultural production have created more than 200 "dead waters" at the estuaries of rivers, where fish cannot survive due to lack of oxygen. Cheap pumping technologies have depleted groundwater and river water without placing any restrictions on it. Insufficient water-saving technologies have also caused waste, causing the already scarce water resources to be overused by agricultural irrigation and industrial production. In addition, the demand from a rapidly growing population exceeds the supply capacity of water resources.
In some areas, groundwater was evacuated, causing seawater to invade the formation. After the groundwater became salty, it could no longer be used, forcing residents to leave their homes. Those countries that are extremely poor face more serious water problems.
Scientists warn that even developed countries may not be spared. For example, 210 million people in the United States live within 10 miles of unhealthy water, and as global warming continues to increase, the number of affected people will continue to increase. In Europe, due to the need for irrigation, many surface water resources have gradually dried up and no sustainable water supply is available.
Pollution in developed countries is also an important cause of water shortage problems. Water pollution can even cause endocrine disorders in fish and trigger their gender changes. The long-term impact on humans is unknown.
Scientists call on countries to set strict goals to improve global water supply, ensure the realization of sustainable development goals, and form water resource management systems to address water pollution, overexploitation and climate change.
