Global Scans · Water · Weekly Summary

WHAT'S NEXT?: Global demand for fresh water is expected to outpace sustainable supply by 40% in 2030. Global water demand will climb in tandem with population and economic growth. At least two-thirds of the world's population will face 'water stress' by 2025 and the number of people affected by floods could increase by a factor of three by 2100 bring significant risk of unrest and conflict. The UN Security Council will have to declare water a strategic resource of humanity and adopt a resolution to protect water resources and installations. Organizations will be expected to play their part in conserving water.

• [New] Water levels were expected to drop in Orsk after historic flooding caused by a burst dam displaced thousands of people in Russia's southern Ural region. Yahoo News
• [New] COUNTRIES WITH HUMANITARIAN RESPONSE PLANS AFGHANISTAN Afghanistan is experiencing the residual impacts of decades of conflict, years of drought conditions, chronic and continued poverty, and natural disasters. ReliefWeb Response
• [New] The Master of Oceanography is the only course of its kind in Australia and will leverage Western Australia's position on the Indian Ocean and unique marine environment including pristine coastal areas and ocean processes shaped by the Indian and Southern Oceans. UWA
• [New] Rising waters were forecast in Siberia's Ishim River, also a tributary of the Irtysh, which along with its parent, the Ob, forms the world's seventh-longest river system. Voice of America (VOA News)
• [New] There are multiple wastewater treatment systems across the ExxonMobil Singapore complex, including a membrane biological reactor that provides additional opportunities for water reuse on site. ExxonMobil
• [New] The opportunity to produce Green Hydrogen through renewable electrolysis of water is emerging throughout Australia as we develop and increase renewable energy capacity (predominantly via solar and wind). Hfw
• [New] Floating Offshore Wind Shot, taking into consideration national circumstances, to accelerate breakthroughs across engineering, manufacturing, and other innovation areas that dramatically reduce the cost of floating offshore wind in deep waters by 2035. The White House
• [New] Floating Offshore Wind Shot, which aims to reduce the cost of floating offshore wind in deep waters by more than 70% and reach 1 5GW of U.S. domestic deployment by 2035. The White House
• [New] Israel has pushed back on last month's UN-backed food security classification that warned of looming famine in northern Gaza, arguing that there is more food and water in Gaza than humanitarian workers have claimed. The Times of Israel
• [New] Africa is facing more severe effects from climate change than much of the rest of the world; coastal floods could impact energy infrastructure, while water stress may threaten the main input needed to produce green hydrogen, even though it uses less water than other forms of hydrogen production. Lombard Odier
• [New] As Arctic waters become increasingly navigable due to the disproportionate impacts of climate change, Canada will be exposed to new vulnerabilities in the North, which is also NATO's Northern and Western flank. Prime Minister of Canada
• [New] Rising water was forecast in Siberia's Ishim and Tobol rivers, tributaries of the Irtysh river, which along with its parent, the Ob, forms the world's seventh-longest river system. Al Jazeera
• [New] Projects supported by Australia include Aquawatch-AUK, led by Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd (SSTL), which is using disruptive space technologies to develop a world class integrated water quality monitoring and forecasting system for use across the UK, Australia and beyond. GOV.UK
• [New] California has awarded $22 million for green hydrogen projects, including three plants that will tap renewable electricity to power electrolyzers, which produce hydrogen from water. The Guam Daily Post
• [New] According to World Bank projections, reduced crop yield due to reduced water availability, storm surges, and increasing sea levels may force between 31 and 143 million people to relocate domestically by 2050. Wiley Online Library
• [New] Dense water out of the Antarctic shelves is expected to drive the transport of carbon into the deep Southern Ocean via the formation of Antarctic Bottom Water. Northeastern Global News
• [New] Salt marshes form a natural barrier against higher water levels - an especially important consideration in the low-lying Bay Area, where sea levels are projected to rise four to eight inches by 2050. Reasons to be Cheerful
• [New] The UK expects to see immediate action by Israel to end restrictions on humanitarian aid, deconflict with the UN and aid agencies, protect civilians and repair vital infrastructure like hospitals and water networks. Kent Online
• [New] Persistent and severe drought conditions across Western Canada could have a devastating effect on the oil and natural gas sector, which has drilling operations in some of the driest areas. CBC
• [New] The ANU-led team looked at the full spectrum of droughts Australia could experience, including length and intensity, even without the effects of climate change. SciTechDaily
• The estimate of plastic pollution on the ocean floor could be up to 100 times more than the amount of plastic floating on the ocean's surface based on recent estimates. ScienceDaily
• During summer the Arctic will be free of sea ice, meaning covering less than 1.0 million square kilometers (386,000 square miles) of the Arctic Ocean, before 2040, while others suggest later decades. National Snow and Ice Data Center
• Increased use of electric heat pumps, for heating and cooling and water heating, will help lower energy costs for more American families and businesses and create healthier indoor spaces. Energy.gov

Last updated: 13 April 2024