Water scarcity poses economic and security threat around the world

It is no secret that water scarcity poses a threat to population growth worldwide, but water scarcity also has other dire consequences.  Check out this article on the economic and security impacts of water scarcity from The Globe and Mail:

Conflict over scarce water resources is as old as human history, but in the 21st century, rapidly rising demand for water and threats to supply pose nightmarish risks for people around the globe.

The U.S. Defense Department, United Nations’ agencies and the business-dominated World Economic Forum all point to the proliferation of water crises as a major threat to human security and economic well-being next year and in the years to come.

For many leaders gathering for the climate-change summit in Paris on Monday, global warming is a “clear and present danger” that will exacerbate existing water-related stresses and undermine efforts to lift the world’s poorest people out of poverty.

Desertification in sub-Saharan Africa and drought in the Middle East have contributed to conflict and a flood of refugees. Extreme storms and rising water levels threaten to inundate low-lying states and coastlines from the South Pacific islands to heavily populated countries such as Bangladesh. United Nations scientists warn that drought and climate-related natural disasters will cause major crop losses and reduced yields for farmers in developing countries.

Read more at:  http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/water-scarcity-poses-an-economic-and-security-threat-around-the-world/article27523813/?click=sf_globe