The threat of a global water shortage

As argued for some time by the WWF global pressure on freshwater resources is increasing, mainly through changes in global population and income levels, which have led to an increase in demand for water intensive products such as meat, sugar and cotton.

It's easy to take for granted how much water it takes to produce some of the world's most consumed products. For example, for just a kilogram of rice over 3000 litres of water must be used and for one litre of milk it takes almost 1000 litres.

The world's apparent warming climate has caused fresh water reserves to fall across the globe consequently waking people up to the importance of our "water footprint".

60% of the world in danger

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) predicts that by the year 2050 around 60 percent of the world's population will experience severe water shortages, with 33 percent thought to be already under water stress.

The accompanying infographic gives a breakdown of the peril the world is facing as a result of the global water shortage.