Experts predict 40% freshwater shortage by 2030.

The world is facing a water crisis, with demand expected to outstrip the supply of fresh water by 40% by 2030, according to a landmark report on the economics of water. Governments must urgently stop subsidising the extraction and overuse of water through misdirected agricultural subsidies, and industries from mining to manufacturing must be made to overhaul their wasteful practices. Nations must start to manage water as a “global commons”, because most countries are highly dependent on their neighbours for water supplies, and overuse, pollution and the climate crisis threaten water supplies globally, the report’s authors say.