Water has played a key role in human security throughout history, but attention to water-related threats has been growing in recent years due to increasing water risks. Water demand has increased sharply in many regions of the world as a result of population growth and economic expansion. Water supply is expected to decline in the mid-latitude regions of the world because of climate change, which is also expected to alter the timing of water availability and increase the severity of drought and flood events.
The destruction of natural habitat and the discharge of untreated municipal, industrial, and agricultural wastewater into our rivers and lakes is rendering much of our surface water and groundwater unusable. These increasing pressures on water resources are undermining water security and contributing to conflict, migration, and food insecu- rity in many parts of the developing world.
Source: Gleick, P., & Iceland, C. 2018. Water, Security, and Conflict. World Resource Institute.
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