Water crisis driven by climate change threatens global food production

The exposed sandbanks of the Paraguay River, near Villeta, Paraguay, 12 October 2024. The river's water levels have dropped dramatically due to a drought in Brazil, upstream, which has fuelled a conflict between fishermen and rice farmers over water use. © Cesar Olmedo/Reuters

The world’s supplies of fresh water can no longer be counted on due to a shift in rainfall patterns caused by climate change, a major report has warned. It's calling for global cooperation to address a problem that could put more than half of the world’s food production at risk by 2050.

Climate change, destructive land use and mismanagement of supplies has put the global water cycle under "unprecedented stress", the Global Commission on the Economics of Water (GCEW) warned in a report published Thursday.