UN chief warns of serious clean water shortages by 2050

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres of Portugal (Photo by SETH WENIG/AP)

UNITED NATIONS—UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is warning that by 2050 the global demand for fresh water is projected to grow by more than 40 percent and at least a quarter of the world’s population will live in countries with a “chronic or recurrent” lack of clean water.

Guterres told the UN Security Council on Tuesday that “strains on water access are already rising in all regions.” He said the UN is ready to engage in preventive diplomacy to keep water from sparking conflicts.

Bolivian President Evo Morales, whose country holds the council presidency, said the planet is “in the throes of a water crisis that will only get worse over the coming decades.”

Morales said that since 1947, there have been 37 conflicts between countries related to water. JPV