Water Resources Indicator

Eco-Economy Indicators are twelve trends that the Earth Policy Institute tracks to measure progress in building an eco-economy. Water resources are an indicator because water scarcity may be the most underrated resource issue the world is facing today.

Global freshwater use tripled during the second half of the twentieth century as population more than doubled and as technological advances let farmers and other water users pump groundwater from greater depths and harness river water with more and larger dams. As global demand soars, pressures on the world’s water resources are straining aquatic systems worldwide. Rivers are running dry, lakes are disappearing, and water tables are dropping. MORE...

World Irrigated Area, 1950-2003 (figure and table)

World Irrigated Area Per Thousand People, 1950-2003 (figure and table)

Major Rivers Running Dry (table)

Disappearing Lakes and Shrinking Seas (table)

Underground Water Depletion in Key Countries (table)

Water Prices Rising Worldwide (7 March 2007)

Bottled Water: Pouring Resources Down the Drain (2 February 2006)

Disappearing Lakes, Shrinking Seas (7 April 2005)

Dead Zones Increasing in the World’s Coastal Waters (16 June 2004)

Troubling New Flows of Environmental Refugees (28 January 2004)

Glaciers and Sea Ice Endangered by Rising Temperatures (22 January 2004)

Wakeup Call on the Food Front (16 December 2003)

World Facing Fourth Consecutive Grain Harvest Shortfall (17 September 2003)

China Losing War with Advancing Deserts (5 August 2003)

Deserts Advancing, Civilization Retreating (27 March 2003)

World Creating Food Bubble Economy Based on Unsustainable Use of Water (13 March 2003)

Rising Temperatures & Falling Water Tables Raising Food Prices (21 August 2002)

Water Deficits Growing in Many Countries (6 August 2002)

World Grain Harvest Falling Short by 54 Million Tons: Water Shortages Contributing to Shortfall (21 November 2001)

Worsening Water Shortages Threaten China's Food Security (4 October 2001)

Dust Bowl Threatening China’s Future (23 May 2001)

Population Growth Sentencing Millions to Hydrological Poverty (21 June 2000)

Falling Water Tables In China May Soon Raise Food Prices Everywhere (2 May 2000)