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] New Zealand's oceans are warming 34% faster than the global average, with NZ$180bn (US$104bn) worth of housing at risk of flooding. no2nuclearpower
• [New] Global change - through climate shifts, altered precipitation patterns, warming temperatures, and increased land-use pressures - threatens the current balance and impacts human uses and groundwater-dependent ecosystems. aquanty
• [New] Human-caused global warming is disrupting the global water cycle in ways that could bring severe water scarcity sooner than expected. Newsweek
• [New] Sustainable resolution will require long-term, legally grounded agreements, investment in Iraq's water infrastructure, and regional cooperation that respects the needs of all riparian states. Fanack Water
• [New] Ecuador's environment ministry revoked the permit for Dundee Precious Metals' Loma Larga project after local authorities warned it threatened the Quimsacocha water reserve. Winssolutions
• [New] New Report Warns of US Water Sector Crisis. Yahoo Finance
• [New] 35% of drought-prone regions could face acute drinking water crises within 15 years. Our Future Water
• [New] University of Bristol astrophysicists are helping shed new light on an Earth-sized exoplanet 40 light years away where liquid water in the form of a global ocean or icy expanse might exist on its surface. ScienceDaily
• [New] New resources have been committed to continue the development of the Melanesian Ocean Reserve, which will be the world's first Indigenous-led marine protected area. Good Good Good
• [New] Persistent challenges remain, including the inherently high energy consumption of advanced node manufacturing, the projected surge in demand for AI chips, water scarcity in regions with major fabs, and the complexity of managing global Scope 3 emissions. FinancialContent
• [New] By 2028, AI data centers will likely consume as much as 124 billion liters of water. / USA Engadget
• [New] The world's oceans are facing a triple planetary crisis with experts warning that human-caused global biodiversity loss has accelerated significantly over the past 50 years. Blue Marine Foundation
• [New] Under a high emissions scenario, or pathway, where greenhouse gases continue to rise, water levels at Gatun Lake will fall significantly over the next 75 years. Live Science
• [New] In 2025, a new U.K. government-funded research initiative was announced that will see modular water filters filled with local saprotrophic fungi installed on agricultural land to capture and neutralize pollutants from farming activities before they reach freshwater environments. Reasons to be Cheerful
• [New] Looking ahead into the next month, drought removal or improvement is anticipated across much of the Pacific Northwest, parts of the Northern Rockies and Northern Intermountain regions and the southeastern Florida Peninsula, due to predicted above-normal precipitation. EconCurrent's Substack
• [New] Shipping and Logistics: Changes in transportation costs and infrastructure, such as water levels in the Mississippi River, will affect U.S. export competitiveness. FinancialContent
• [New] Water stress could become particularly severe in the western U.S., the Mediterranean, northern Africa, southern Africa, India, northern China, and southern Australia as demand rapidly outpaces supply. Gizmodo
• During the 2025 HCC, teams will either develop solutions to convert non-powered dams to hydroelectric dams that can produce between 100 kilowatts and 10 megawatts of power or assess closed-loop pumped storage hydropower systems that can provide between 8 and 24 hours of energy storage. Energy.gov
• There is a likely risk of major injuries to crew members involved in confrontational incidents, as China will very likely continue to use tactics such as ramming and the use of water cannons to block and deter Filipino ships in the disputed areas. Default
• AWS's USD4bn commitment signals confidence in Chile's potential, but future growth will depend on addressing water scarcity concerns that previously halted Google's expansion plans. Fitch Solutions
• Sensor networks, such as Alrosa's AWMS, enable real-time monitoring of temperature, water levels, and equipment status, thereby automating risk detection and improving productivity. Persistence Market Research
• Domestically, social stability risks are rising in Iran as a deepening currency crisis, high inflation, widespread power outages and water shortages fuel public discontent. Fitch Solutions

Last updated: 11 October 2025