The report Turning the Tide: a Call for Collective Action, published by the Global Commission on the Economy of Water, issues a clear warning: the world faces a pivotal moment and must act now. It describes a global shift in water governance that will touch every nation, economy, and ecosystem. While Spain is not named directly, the analysis sketches a future where the country could see meaningful impacts on food supply due to water stress and rising heat.
The document emphasizes a brewing water crisis driven by climate change and biodiversity loss, noting that these forces reinforce one another. It also outlines urgent, collective steps needed to stop the crisis and protect essential services such as food and health.
Human activity has altered the planet’s freshwater balance. Changes in rainfall patterns are reshaping supply worldwide, transforming the hydrological cycle. Each temperature increase adds more moisture to the cycle, intensifying and concentrating extreme weather events that strain water systems, infrastructure, and communities alike.
The study highlights that more than two billion people lack access to safely managed water, four billion experience water shortages for at least one month each year, and a child under five dies from waterborne disease every eighty seconds. This calls for a new approach to water management—one that builds a resilient water economy for all.
Spain’s Vulnerability and Regional Impacts
Even though Spain is not explicitly named, its water challenges and potential future scenarios appear in several maps. One projection suggests Spain could face a notable drop in food supply by 2050 due to water stress and heat, with declines estimated between 12.4% and 14.9%. This would place Spain among the European nations most at risk, alongside certain regions in South and Southeast Asia facing similar pressures.
Another map illustrates broader regional trends, showing how drought, heat waves, and forest fires contribute to unprecedented human, economic, and ecological costs across many areas. The analysis makes clear that water shortages are a global, transboundary concern, not confined to any single country or region.
Water’s reach extends beyond rivers and lakes. Scientists describe atmospheric moisture flows, or atmospheric rivers, connecting hydrological and climatic systems across continents. Actions in one region can influence precipitation patterns elsewhere, underscoring the need for coordinated, global responses to water governance.
Without decisive action, the global water crisis could threaten all Sustainable Development Goals, undermining food and health security, worsening poverty, and fueling instability within and between nations. The commission stresses that the most vulnerable—women, marginalized groups, Indigenous communities, youth, farmers, workers, and small businesses—will bear the brunt unless equity and justice are embedded in water policy.
Currently, many regions already face severe food insecurity. Drought, heat waves, and forest fires are driving extraordinary costs in human lives and economies, making urgent action essential for a stable future.
Collective and Urgent Actions
The report notes that rapid population and income growth, changing diets, and unprecedented water use in agriculture have intensified pressure on water systems. Global blue water withdrawals rose from about 500 cubic kilometers in 1900 to over 4,000 in 2022, while groundwater resources and coastal ecosystems face depletion and degradation.
To move beyond stalemate, the authors advocate a bold, integrated, and immediate approach to water policy to be implemented by 2030. They present seven concrete recommendations designed to create a fair, sustainable, and resilient water future at local, regional, national, and global levels.
1) Treat the water cycle as a global public good shared for the benefit of all. Water is closely tied to climate change and the planet’s natural capital, and its governance must reflect its essential role in food security. Any future strategy must be grounded in justice and equity.
2) Embrace a results-focused approach that recognizes water’s many roles in human well-being. This includes guaranteeing the human right to drinking water for domestic use, using innovation in solving specific problems, and expanding investments and public-private partnerships in water infrastructure.
Abolish Agricultural Subsidies to Protect Water
3) Price water access realistically to reflect its true value, ensuring that support reaches those in need and promoting efficient, fair, and sustainable use. The non-economic value of water should guide decisions that protect nature and the life it sustains.
4) Phase out subsidies of up to a billion dollars annually for agriculture and water, a move that can curb wasteful practices and environmental harm. Reducing water losses and disclosing water footprints will steer investment and consumer choices toward sustainable options.
5) Create fair water associations that mobilize investments in water access in low- and middle-income countries. Attract private firms, banks, institutions, and philanthropists, recognizing that the long-term returns surpass costs.
6) Strengthen freshwater storage and protect critical natural assets such as wetlands and groundwater. Develop a circular urban water economy, promote industrial and urban wastewater recycling, and shift irrigation toward precision methods and drought-tolerant crops.
7) Reframe multilateral water governance to reduce fragmentation. Use trade policy to advance sustainable water use by embedding conservation standards in trade agreements. Empower farmers, women, youth, Indigenous peoples, local communities, and consumers as stewards of water conservation.
These steps form a practical blueprint for achieving a sustainable and equitable water future across regions and scales. (Source: Global Commission on the Economy of Water)
In summary, the crisis is real and pressing, but so is the opportunity to reshape water governance for lasting resilience. The call is for inclusive action that protects vulnerable communities, preserves ecosystems, and secures water for current and future generations.