About: water scarcity

Water cooperation with global South helps European regions

Decentralised cooperation for sustainable water management and sanitation between European regional, local authorities with their counterparts across the globe is key to help localise sustainable development goals, stakeholders say.

Scientists look at triggering rainfall, saving water to tackle droughts

Over the past fifty years, droughts have become increasingly common in Europe. Climate change is not only reducing the amount of water available, but also affecting how clean it is, with floods bringing soil and other elements into the water supply chain.

Morocco urges Brussels to end farm pact deadlock

Morocco’s Minister of Agriculture, Aziz Akhannouch, called on the EU to unblock a stalled farm trade agreement in order to help the country implement its sole national development strategy. EURACTIV.com reports from Morocco.

Report: Coal plants use as much water as 1 billion people and consumption set to double

Coal power plants use enough water to supply the needs of 1 billion people and that will almost double if all the world’s planned power plants come online.

German economy vulnerable to global water scarcity, WWF warns

Water is scarce but it continues to be wasted excessively in many industrial states, warns a new study by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), predicting that a global conflict over water resources could bring billions in losses for the German market. EURACTIV Germany reports.

Over half of Yemenis may need humanitarian aid, UN says

About 14.7 million people in Yemen may be in need of some form of humanitarian assistance, as outbreaks of violence continue, according to the United Nations.

INFOGRAPHIC: How climate change will affect global water scarcity by 2100

Global warming will affect the whole of the world's water supplies over the coming century, but it will not affect them equally. Hundreds of millions of people will experience new or aggravated forms of water scarcity by 2100.

Firms scramble to boost water-saving culture

From pet food manufacturing to wastewater treatment, companies show no lack of imagination when it comes to improving water efficiency at this year's annual Green Week event in Brussels.

US sees water scarcity as a ‘security issue’

Water scarcity has become a key global issue for the United States because of its potential to fuel armed conflicts in regions such as the Middle East or between nuclear rivals such as India and Pakistan.

Food industry ponders water indicators in farming

Large multinational food companies are currently looking at indicators farmers could use to show progress in saving water. Peter Erik Ywema, from the Sustainable Agriculture Initiative, an industry platform, spoke to EURACTIV in an interview.

Electricity: The looming power struggle for water

Competition between electricity and water demand is climbing up Europe's agenda as climate change is set to further deplete freshwater supplies. Concerns are now being raised that EU renewable energy policies and electric cars could further exacerbate the problem.

‘Water footprint’ data to steer farming onto greener path

Precise data on water usage will soon help farmers and policymakers make better decisions on where to grow crops, says Derk Kuiper from the Water Footprint Network, a UN-backed organisation.

Future EU water blueprint to focus on savings

The European Commission will consider new measures to decrease water consumption in buildings, agriculture and other areas after a major review of current EU water legislation has been completed by 2012.

‘Invisible pollutants’ in focus at world water week

An estimated two million tonnes of human waste are disposed of in watercourses every day, with water pollution from emerging chemical pollutants like nanoparticles an issue of particular concern at this year’s World Water Week in Stockholm.

EU warns of permanent water scarcity in some regions

Greater efforts on pricing and efficiency are needed to reverse the over-exploitation of Europe's limited water resources, argues a European Commission report on the EU's strategy to tackle water scarcity and drought.