Our Scans · Capital Under Constraint: Resilience, Scarcity & Systemic Risk · Weekly Summary

• Around 700 million people worldwide suffer from water scarcity, a number that is predicted to rapidly increase in coming decades. ClimateCheck
• The World Resources Institute data indicates that 83% of the Middle Eastern population already faces severe water scarcity, projected to escalate to 100% by 2050. / USA Nature
• Europe's ambitious artificial intelligence strategy is at risk of colliding with an often overlooked but critically important environmental issue: water scarcity. CNBC
• Climate change is forecasted to worsen both pollution and water scarcity in Shanghai, and highlights the urgent need for resilient and sustainable water management approaches. SpringerLink
• Under climate change, many regions in the EU - especially southern European Member States - and globally are expected to face severe water scarcity. EU Blue Economy Observatory
• SpaceX specifically cited droughts, water scarcity, local competition for resources, and regulatory restrictions as potential threats to future growth. IMFOUNDER
• Water scarcity driven by climate change could cost India $2.5 trillion by 2050 if irrigation infrastructure is not overhauled. The New Indian Express
• If Illinois moves forward with BUILD, it will test how far a large state can go in reshaping local land-use authority to address housing scarcity. Better Cities Project
• As water scarcity becomes a global concern, industries are expected to intensify reuse efforts, significantly increasing long-term demand for specialty treatment chemicals. Persistence Market Research
• Fourteen of the most at-risk countries are in the Middle East, heavily dependent on groundwater and costly desalination, with water scarcity threatening economic growth, food production, energy supply and migration patterns. Daily Sabah
• Water scarcity is emerging as a hidden threat to the UK's net zero pathway, with new research warning that planned industrial decarbonization could outstrip available water supplies in several regions. Atlantic Renewables
• The urgent global need to address water scarcity is creating risks and opportunities for companies and investors alike. Goldman Sachs Asset Management

Last updated: 18 June 2026