Institute for the Study of Earth, Oceans, and Space at UNH
Scientists Say Developing Countries Will Be Hit Hard By Water
Scarcity in the 21st Century By Sharon Keeler UNH News Bureau
July 11, 2001 DURHAM, N.H. --The entire water cycle of the globe
has been changed by human activities and even more dramatic
changes lie ahead, said a group of experts at an international
conference in Amsterdam on global change this week. "Today,
approximately 2 billion people are suffering from water stress,
and models predict that this will increase to more than 3
billion (or about 40 percent of the population) in 2025," said
Charles Vorosmarty, a research professor in the University of
New Hampshire's Institute for the Study of Earth, Oceans, and
Space. There will be winners and losers in terms of access to
safe water. The world's poor nations will be the biggest losers.
Countries already suffering severe water shortages, such as
Mexico, Pakistan, northern China, Poland and countries in the
Middle East and sub-Saharan Africa