National Geographic - USA (2020-04)

Ad DarbAd Darb Chennai Manila, Philippines

Idukki,

Kerala

Taroudant,
Morocco CHINA
PAK.

IRAN

INDIA

SAUDI

ARABIA

CHINA

PAK.

IRAN

INDIA

SAUDI

ARABIA

AFRICA

AUSTRALIA

EUROPE

A S I A

Historical and projected

groundwater withdrawals

in cubic miles per year*

Changing zones

Tropical zones are expanding

20 miles a decade, pushing

other climates poleward; the

populous Mediterranean region

could get much drier.

Both drier and wetter

For every 1°C rise in tempera-

ture, the air holds 7 percent

more water. This dries Earth’s

surface and makes rainfall,

including storms and cyclones,

less frequent but more intense,

escalating the risk of flooding.

These seven countries

account for 74% of global

groundwater withdrawals. *Projections using RCP 6.0

Food shortages

In India the aquifers feeding

the Ganges River are being

depleted faster than anywhere

else in the world. Farmers

depend on this water source.

BUT LESS WATER

Agriculture accounts for more

than two-thirds of ground water

extraction worldwide. Entire

ecosystems become jeopardized

as water is increasingly pumped

from aquifers that can’t be

recharged fast enough.

NAT CASE, INCASE, LLC. SOURCES: AQUEDUCT WATER RISK ATLAS, WORLD RESOURCES INSTITUTE; YUKIKO HIRABAYASHI, SHIBAURA

INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY; YOSHIHIDE WADA AND MARC FP BIERKENS, ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH LETTERS, OCTOBER 2, 2014