Report on Global Freshwater Depletion and its Implications for Sustainable Development Goals

Introduction: An Emerging Threat to Global Sustainability

A recent study analyzing over two decades of NASA satellite data reveals an accelerating trend of continental drying, posing a critical threat to global freshwater resources. These findings have profound implications for the achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly those related to water, food security, climate action, and global stability.

Primary Findings: The Scale of Freshwater Loss and its Drivers

The research highlights a severe and expanding water crisis, directly challenging the foundations of several SDGs.

• Widespread Water Scarcity (SDG 6): A “pandemic of continental drying” is underway, affecting 101 countries that are home to nearly 6 billion people, or 75% of the global population. This net decline in freshwater availability represents a fundamental obstacle to achieving SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation).
• Unsustainable Groundwater Extraction (SDG 6, SDG 12): The primary driver of this water loss is the unsustainable mining of underground aquifers. This practice, accounting for 68% of the total freshwater loss in populated latitudes, directly contravenes the principles of SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production) and undermines the long-term viability of water resources central to SDG 6.
• Irreversible Depletion: Water extracted from ancient aquifers, which took millennia to form, is not being replenished on human timescales. This near-permanent loss of accessible fresh water jeopardizes future generations’ ability to meet basic needs, a core principle of sustainable development.

Interconnected Crises: Impacts on Climate, Ecosystems, and Food Security

The depletion of terrestrial water creates cascading effects that threaten a wide range of global goals.

1. Contribution to Sea-Level Rise (SDG 13, SDG 14): Runoff from mined groundwater has surpassed glacial melt as the largest land-based contributor of water to the oceans. This phenomenon exacerbates sea-level rise, directly impacting efforts under SDG 13 (Climate Action) and threatening marine and coastal ecosystems protected under SDG 14 (Life Below Water).
2. Threats to Food Security (SDG 2): As climate change intensifies droughts, agriculture’s reliance on groundwater increases. With 70% of global freshwater already used for crops, this unsustainable dependency places global food systems at extreme risk, creating a direct threat to achieving SDG 2 (Zero Hunger).
3. Accelerated Ecosystem Degradation (SDG 15): The study reveals that the pace of continental drying has accelerated since 2014, with drying regions merging to form “mega” arid zones. This rapid environmental shift degrades terrestrial ecosystems, undermining the objectives of SDG 15 (Life on Land).

Geopolitical and Socioeconomic Consequences: A Challenge to Global Stability

The convergence of water scarcity on land and rising sea levels in coastal areas presents a severe risk to global peace and prosperity.

• Increased Risk of Conflict and Instability (SDG 16): The report warns that competition over dwindling resources, combined with the displacement of populations from both drying inland areas and flooding coastal zones, significantly increases the risk of conflict and geopolitical instability. This directly threatens the progress toward SDG 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions).
• Forced Migration and Urban Strain (SDG 1, SDG 11): The environmental pressures are expected to trigger widespread famine and mass migration. This places immense strain on social systems and urban infrastructure, complicating efforts to achieve SDG 1 (No Poverty) and SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities).

Analysis of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the Article

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

• SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation – The article’s central theme is the depletion of freshwater resources, continental drying, and the unsustainable use of groundwater.
• SDG 13: Climate Action – The article links the drying of continents and increased groundwater pumping to climate-driven heat and drought. It also identifies land water loss as a major contributor to sea-level rise.
• SDG 2: Zero Hunger – The text highlights that 70% of freshwater is used for agriculture and warns that water scarcity threatens food-producing lowlands, potentially leading to “widespread famine.”
• SDG 14: Life Below Water – The article explains that much of the water taken from aquifers ends up in the oceans, directly contributing to sea-level rise and impacting coastal ecosystems.
• SDG 15: Life on Land – The “continental drying,” merging of arid regions, and depletion of groundwater aquifers represent a severe degradation of terrestrial and inland freshwater ecosystems.
• SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions – The researchers explicitly warn that water scarcity and its consequences increase the “risk for conflict and instability” and “geopolitical disorder.”
• SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities – The article notes that cities are among the entities pumping groundwater and that coastal cities face flooding due to sea-level rise.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

• SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation

  • Target 6.4: By 2030, substantially increase water-use efficiency across all sectors and ensure sustainable withdrawals and supply of freshwater to address water scarcity. The article directly addresses this by describing the “uninhibited pumping of groundwater” and the resulting “net decline in water supply” for 101 countries.
  • Target 6.6: By 2020, protect and restore water-related ecosystems, including mountains, forests, wetlands, rivers, aquifers and lakes. The article’s focus on the massive loss of water from underground aquifers, which “took millions of years to form,” highlights the failure to protect these critical ecosystems.

• SDG 13: Climate Action

  • Target 13.1: Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and natural disasters in all countries. The article shows a negative adaptation, where “as droughts grow more extreme, farmers increasingly turn to groundwater,” exacerbating the problem of water depletion.

• SDG 2: Zero Hunger

  • Target 2.4: By 2030, ensure sustainable food production systems and implement resilient agricultural practices. The article demonstrates the unsustainability of current practices, where “70% of fresh water is used for growing crops,” much of it from non-renewable aquifers, threatening future food production.

• SDG 14: Life Below Water

  • Target 14.2: By 2020, sustainably manage and protect marine and coastal ecosystems. The article connects land-based water issues to marine health by stating that runoff contributes to the “flooding of coastal cities and food-producing lowlands.”

• SDG 15: Life on Land

  • Target 15.3: By 2030, combat desertification, restore degraded land and soil. The article describes this process directly, noting that “Drying regions of the planet are merging” into “mega” regions, and the pace of drying has accelerated.

• SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

  • Target 16.1: Significantly reduce all forms of violence and related death rates everywhere. The article warns that the combination of drying continents and flooding coasts heralds “cascading risks for global order,” including conflict and instability.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

• For Target 6.4 (Water Stress)

  • Indicator: The proportion of the population affected by water scarcity. The article states that “nearly 6 billion people live in the 101 countries facing a net decline in water supply.”
  • Indicator: Contribution of groundwater pumping to water loss. The article specifies that “pumping of groundwater… now accounts for 68% of the total loss of fresh water at the latitudes where most people live.”

• For Target 6.6 / 15.3 (Ecosystem Degradation / Desertification)

  • Indicator: Rate of change in the extent of drying land. The article quantifies this, stating that since 2014, the pace of drying “is now growing by an area twice the size of California each year.” The maps included in the article visually represent this change over the periods 2003-2013 and 2014-2024.

• For Target 13.1 / 14.2 (Sea-Level Rise)

  • Indicator: Contribution of land water loss to sea-level rise. The article and its accompanying chart indicate that “moisture lost to evaporation and drought, plus runoff from pumped groundwater, now outpaces the melting of glaciers… as the largest contributor of water to the oceans.”

• For Target 2.4 (Water Use in Agriculture)

  • Indicator: Percentage of freshwater used for agriculture. The article provides the figure that “Worldwide, 70% of fresh water is used for growing crops.”

4. Table of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: propublica.org