Global Water Resources Report 2021: WMO
WMO (World Meteorological Organization) has released its first annual State of Global Water Resources Report 2021.
- The aim of this annual report is to support monitoring and management of global freshwater resources in an era of growing demand and limited supplies.
- The report focuses on three major areas:
- Streamflow, the volume of water flowing through a river channel at any given time.
- Terrestrial water storage (TWS) — all water on the land surface and in the sub-surface.
- The cryosphere (frozen water).
Findings of the Report:
- Between 2001 and 2018, UN-Water reported that a staggering 74% of all natural disasters were water-related.
- The recent UN climate change conference, COP27, in Egypt, urged governments to further integrate water into adaptation efforts, the first-time water has been referenced in a COP outcome document in recognition of its critical importance.
- 3.6 billion people have inadequate access to water at least one month per year and this is expected to increase to more than five billion by 2050.
- Large areas of the globe recorded drier-than-normal conditions in 2021, which was a year in which precipitation patterns were influenced by climate change and a La Niña event.
- The area with below-average streamflow was approximately two times larger than the above-average area, in comparison to the 30-year hydrological average.
