Water is a powerful marker of climate change

Large areas of the planet experienced drier than normal conditions in 2021 under the influence of climate change and the La Nina weather phenomenon, the World Meteorological Organization said in its first annual State of Resources report. world in water.

WMO compiled the report to help assess the effects of climate, environmental and societal change on the Earth's water resources.

This annual report aims to help monitor and manage the world's limited freshwater resources and must meet growing demand.

“The effects of climate change are often felt through water. These include more intense and more frequent droughts, more extreme floods, more erratic seasonal rainfall and accelerated melting of glaciers, which cascade through economies, ecosystems and all aspects of our daily lives, yet we have insufficient understanding of the changes taking place in the distribution, quantity and quality of freshwater resources,” said the Secretary-General. WMO, Petteri Taalas, quoted in a press release.

- Extreme phenomena -

Currently, 3.6 billion people face insufficient access to water at least one month a year.

This figure should increase to more than five billion by 2050, according to the report, which also recalls that between 2001 and 2018, 74% of all natural disasters were related to water.

"In 2021, all regions experienced extreme hydrological events in the form of floods and droughts, which had a significant impact on communities and caused many deaths," the report said.

Compared to the 30-year hydrological average, large areas of the world experienced drier than normal conditions in 2021. This is the case of Rio de la Plata, in South America, which has been experiencing persistent drought since 2019. , the southern and southeastern Amazon, and basins in North America, including those of the Colorado, Missouri, and Mississippi rivers.

In Africa, the flow of rivers such as the Niger, Volta, Nile and Congo was below normal in 2021. The same was true in parts of the Russian Federation, western Siberia and Central Asia.

Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia are experiencing severe drought after several consecutive years of below average rainfall.

Conversely, major floods caused many victims, particularly in China in Henan province, in northern India, in Western Europe and in countries affected by tropical cyclones, such as Mozambique. , the Philippines and Indonesia.

- Frozen resources -

The report recalls that the cryosphere - glaciers, snow cover, ice caps and permafrost - is the largest natural reservoir of fresh water in the world.

About 1.9 billion people live in areas where water is supplied by glaciers and snowmelt.

Therefore, changes in the cryosphere have significant impact on food security, human health, ecosystems and human development.

The report notes that globally, glacier melting continued in 2021 and was accelerating.