[11/29] The Economist - Why the world faces more water stress

 

1. Quote of the day

Love is a great beautifier.

from Louisa May Alcotte

 

 

2. Why the world faces more water stress

On Thuesday the World Meteorological Organisation publishes, for the first time, an evaluation of global water resources. The findings will be bleak. At COP27, held in Egypt earlier this month, governments noted the "critical" need for "protecting, conserving and restoring water systems". There is a growing understanding of the relationship between water scarcity and higher global temperatures, and of the need to manage water supplies in order to adapt to climtate change.

 

Global warming worsens natural disasters the affect the availability of water: droughts are longer and more frequent; storms and rising sea levels contaminate water used for drinking and washing. Climate change is also depleting stocks of freshwater held in glaciers, snow and permafrost. According to the UN, by 2050 1.6bn people will be at risk of floods(up from 1.2bn currently), while 3.2bn may live in water-sacrce areas (up from 1.9bn in 2010). And water, or its lack, influences economies, too: in Britain and Europe droughts currently cause around $9bn in losses each year. 

 

 

evaluation /ɪˌvæl.juˈeɪ.ʃən/

n. the process of judging or calculation the quality, importance, amount, or value of something

 

bleak /bliːk/

ad. if a place is bleak, it is empty. and not welcoming or attractive. 

ad. if a situation is bleak, there is little or no hope for the future. 

 

scarcity /ˈskeə.sə.ti/

n. a situation in which something is not easy to find or get

 

worsens /ˈwɜː.sən/

v. to become worse or to make something become worse.

 

contaminate /kənˈtæm.ɪ.neɪt/

v. to make something less pure or makeit poisonous.

 

deplete  /dɪˈpliːt/

v. to reduce something in size or amount, especially supplies of energy, money etc..

 

glacier /ˈɡlæs.i.ər/

n. a large mass of ice that moves slowly

 

permafrost  /ˈpɜː.mə.frɒst/

n. an area of land that is permanetly frozen below the surface

 

scarce /skeəs/

ad. not easy to find or get