London could run out of water in 25 years as cities worldwide face rising risk of drought, report warns
London could run out of water within 25 years and British rivers could lose more than half their water by 2050 as cities around the world face growing risks from drought driven by climate change, according to a report from Christian Aid.
The charity warns that the climate crisis is increasing the severity of drought in ten of the world’s major cities – from London to New Delhi, Sydney and Kabul – but warns that the without cutting greenhouse gas emissions and better management of freshwater the toll will be felt most acutely by the world’s poorest inhabitants. The charity is consequently calling for an international fund to pay for loss and damage from climate impacts.
Despite covering more than 70 per cent of the earth’s surface, only 3 per cent of the world’s water is suitable for drinking, and most of that is locked up in glaciers and ice caps.
Less than 0.01 per cent of the world’s fresh water is available for human use in lakes, rivers and reservoirs. Despite this, the charity found that global water use grew at more than twice the rate of population increases over the course of the 20th century.
Water shortages are already being felt across the world. Cape Town came within days of becoming the first major city in the world to run out of water in 2018, and people have been queuing for water in New Delhi where temperatures have soared in recent weeks .
Even London and the South East of England could run out of water within 25 years according to the CEO of the Environment Agency, James Bevan, the report warns. The cost of a severe drought to London’s economy is estimated by Thames Water to be £330m per day, and would have severe economic, social and environmental consequences, the report says.
The Environment Agency has said that by 2050 some rivers will see 50 per cent to 80 per cent less water during the summer months.
London already receives about half the amount of rain that falls in New York City, according to the report, and climate change will increase the frequency and intensity of droughts in south east England. Combined with a growing population, this could place serious stress on London’s ageing water supply system, the study says.
The report examines the future for water supplies for drinking, washing and growing crops to provide food for 10 major cities worldwide, and warns that without action to cut greenhouse gas emissions and curb the rising risk of climate-related drought, the poor will be worst hit.
Lower income city dwellers can end up having to pay much more for their water from private vendors, cities are more vulnerable in poorer countries as they have fewer resources to adapt to climate change and water shortages can drive conflict, Christian Aid said.
Polling for the charity shows more than a third of people (36 per cent) back calls for rich countries to pay to limit the impact of drought, a more popular option than expecting affected countries or individuals, or private companies, to pay.
In the wake of heatwaves hitting the UK, almost half (49 per cent) of the more than 2,200 Britons polled said they were now concerned about the impacts of drought on people in this country, but nearly two thirds (64 per cent) agree they have never seen information about how to protect themselves from it.
Nushrat Rahman Chowdhury, of Christian Aid, co-author of the report, said: “Drought is not new but its intensity and frequency have increased over the last 30 years due to global warming.
“It is a real danger; it threatens lives and livelihoods of some of the poorest people in the world.
“These are communities which have done the least to cause the climate crisis. This is the reality known as loss and damage.
“To address this injustice, we not only need emissions cut but also provide financial support for those losses which cannot be adapted to.
“That is why, at this year’s UN climate talks in Egypt, we are calling for the creation of a loss and damage finance facility to be a major priority.”
Dr Friederike Otto, from the Grantham Institute, Imperial College London, carried out a study into the 2018 drought in Cape Town, which found climate change made it about three times more likely to happen.
“Changing rainfall and higher temperatures – the result of greenhouse gas emissions – are making drought more common and more severe in parts of the world.
