A global water crisis is threatening economic growth and the food supply

Countries need a global agreement to address a worsening water crisis that could slash economic growth by 8% and threaten half the world’s food supply by 2050, according to the OECD-supported Global Commission on the Economics of Water. The commission, formed by the Netherlands in 2022, says climate change, poor land use, and water mismanagement have pushed the global water cycle to dangerous levels. Regions like northwestern India face severe shortages, and governments must work together to rethink water consumption and infrastructure investment, the final report states. Singapore’s President Tharman Shanmugaratnam, a co-chair of the commission, called for a global water pact, although the process could take years. Rising temperatures are altering rainfall patterns, reducing soil moisture, and worsening droughts, fires, and biodiversity loss, which disrupt essential “atmospheric rivers” that provide rain. Current trends could cut global cereal production by 23%. The commission urges reforms in water pricing, infrastructure investment, and the redirection of $600 billion in agricultural subsidies to curb overconsumption. Water shortages may also heighten geopolitical tensions, warns water politics expert Genevieve Donnellon-May, a researcher at the Oxford Global Society think tank. Watch CGTN LIVE on your computer, tablet or mobile https://cgtnamerica.vhx.tv/videos/hd-live-broadcasts Subscribe to CGTN America on YouTube Follow CGTN America: Twitter: @cgtnamerica Facebook: @cgtnamerica Instagram: @cgtnamerica TikTok: @newstoks This material is distributed by MediaLinks TV, LLC on behalf of CCTV. Additional information is available at the Department of Justice, Washington, D.C.