Search results
Results From The WOW.Com Content Network
People need fresh water for survival, personal care, agriculture, industry, and commerce. The 2019 UN World Water Development report noted that about four billion people, representing nearly two-thirds of the world population, experience severe water scarcity during at least one month of the year. [6]
China's surface water resources include 2598.44 cubic kilometers and groundwater resources amounted to 792.44 cubic kilometers as of 2022. As pumping water draws water from nearby rivers, the total available resource is less than the sum of surface and groundwater, and this amounted to 2708.81 cubic kilometers. [3]
Under the environmental security perspective, resource scarcity perpetuates conflict by inciting pressures on a society that is dealing with resource deprivation. According to Homer-Dixon, populations struggling with resource scarcity are also impacted by overpopulation and inequitable resource allocation. [10]
By 2025, 1.8 billion people will be living in countries or regions with absolute water scarcity, and two-thirds of the world population could be under stress conditions. [42] By 2050, more than half of the world's population will live in water-stressed areas, and another billion may lack sufficient water, MIT researchers find.
Furthermore, 60% of China's 661 cities face seasonal water shortage, and over 100 cities have severe water constraints. [16] Contamination of drinking water from feces is a critical health problem in China, as in other developing countries, that causes serious illnesses such as diarrhea and viral hepatitis.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF, as of 2020, approximately two billion people globally do not have access to safely managed drinking water. [1] This lack of access leads to various consequences, including increased vulnerability to waterborne diseases , reduced educational opportunities, gender inequalities, and ...
The resource curse, also known as the paradox of plenty or the poverty paradox, is the hypothesis that countries with an abundance of natural resources (such as fossil fuels and certain minerals) have lower economic growth, lower rates of democracy, or poorer development outcomes than countries with fewer natural resources. [1]
Beijing, the capital of China, is characterized by intense water scarcity during the long dry season as well as heavy flooding during the brief wet season. Beijing is one of the most water-scarce cities in the world. Total water use is 3.6 billion cubic meters, compared to renewable fresh water resources of about 3 billion cubic meters. [1]