This publication shows that, without improved water management or adaptation to climate change, the global sustainability goals cannot be achieved. The report highlights the urgent need for an integrated approach to limiting climate- and water-related risks. Using maps and infographics, The geography of future water challenges shows the water-related challenges of tomorrow, under a business-as-usual scenario.

Water is inextricably linked to sustainable developments and quality of life. The themes presented are food production, water quality and human health, flood risk, energy, ecological quality, and the interaction between water and migration and possible conflict risks. Water-related challenges are shown to be increasing, over the coming decades, due to a combination of population growth, economic development and climate change.

The report shows the urgent need for a coherent approach on a scale that is sufficiently large to cover the various problems and underlines the importance of collaboration between public parties to initiate solutions. The global landscapes in the search for integrated solutions will be the dryland regions, cities, transboundary river basins, coastal zones and deltas.

Drought, flooding and poor sanitary conditions pose the largest water-related challenges. Each year, a large share of the world’s population is particularly affected by a lack of sanitation (sewerage systems and drinking water supply systems). By 2050, over 2 billion people are expected to still lack access to adequate sanitation facilities, leading to a variety of diseases and death. Africa could become a hotspot of migration and water-related conflict, due to a combination of strong population growth, increased water shortages and low per-capita income levels. The construction of 3700 new dams for hydropower plants, together with a growing water demand, may increase tensions in transboundary river basin areas.