La Niña is only part of the problem. The long-term driver of increasing drought – even in areas getting more rainfall overall – is the rapidly warming climate.
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Articles on Water security
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When Indigenous peoples lose their river flow to dams, satellite programs like Landsat can help them fight for their resources.
500 million people live in 19 African countries deemed “water insecure”.
The author’s 9-year-old son will likely face about four times as many extreme events in his lifetime as older adults today. An international report explains the impacts already being felt.
Water is central to adapting to climate change, but very few of the strategies put in place to respond to water hazards or ensure its availability have been evaluated.
Covering the state’s canals with solar panels would reduce evaporation of precious water and help meet renewable energy goals – all while saving money.
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Academic research can have a direct impact on people's lives. It's crucial to come together to deal with problems like climate change. If we don't, the poor and vulnerable will suffer the most.
Glaciers in North America, Europe and the Andes, in particular, have significantly less ice than people realized.
Long before climate change was evident, California began planning a system of canals and reservoirs to carry water from the mountains to drier farms and cities. It’s no longer enough.
As surface water diminishes in the Western US, people are drilling deeper wells – and tapping into older groundwater that can take thousands of years to replenish naturally.
Cities and farmers in the Southwest are resorting to unsustainable strategies to pull in more water. Iran has tried many of these strategies and shows how they can go wrong.
Three suburbs in Victoria have been warned against drinking tap water — even if they boil it first.
As the risk of fires rises in areas once considered too wet to burn, it creates hazards for mountain communities and for downstream water supplies.
Groundwater was once thought to buffer streams from warming, but an inexpensive new technique shows streams fed by shallow groundwater may be just as susceptible as those without.
The projected loss of water storage on land as global temperatures rise is especially alarming in the Southern Hemisphere – and in parts of the US.
Salt storms are an emerging threat, as Lake Urmia dries up and exposes huge salt marshes.
Other existential risks include the decline of natural resources (particularly water), human population growth beyond the Earth’s carrying capacity, and nuclear weapons.
Five capital city water storages fell over summer, and some appear to be facing dramatic long-term declines. Late drenching rains fell on southeastern Australia, but some unlucky centres missed out.
The water that replenishes groundwater, rivers and lakes is under threat from climate change, pollution and aging infrastructure.
Parts of Ethiopia will likely be hotter, drier, and more water stressed - with consequences for human and economic development.
Top contributors
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Senior Lecturer in Environmental Science, Western Sydney University
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Senior Lecturer, Western Sydney University
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Professor of Civil & Environmental Engineering, UNSW Sydney
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Reader / Associate Professor in Environmental Geoscience, Sheffield Hallam University
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Assistant Professor of Civil Engineering, Boise State University
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Research Fellow, Monash Sustainability Institute, Monash University
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Associate Professor in Environmental Engineering, School of Engineering, RMIT University
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Emeritus Prof, Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology (ACWEB), The University of Queensland
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Adjunct professor, The University of Western Australia
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Chief Executive Officer, Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research; Professorial Fellow, Fenner School for the Environment and Society, Australian National University
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Professor and Head of Infectious Diseases Epidemiology Unit, School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University
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Director, Institute for Sustainable Futures, University of Technology Sydney
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Professor, Fenner School of Environment & Society, Australian National University
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Professor of Economics and Head of School, University of South Australia
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Senior Research Fellow, Institute for Sustainable Industries and Liveable Cities, Victoria University, Victoria University
