آیا ما در آب عمیق هستیم؟ کمبود آب و محدودیت آن به رشد اقتصادی

Model results show that most countries will experience declining water availability, particularly those countries that experience a confluence of factors including low fresh water availability, high climate change impacts, and growing consumption patterns. We show that virtual water trade and improved water efficiency has potential to alleviate the worst effects of water scarcity for wealthy countries but may have limited effect on poorer countries. The analysis concludes that the most important driver of future water scarcity is economic growth, which overwhelms any realistic savings that can be made from increased technological progress and improvements to water efficiency. Population growth and climate change are also shown to be important drivers of future water scarcity, particularly over the long-run.