The world is depleting its freshwater far faster than nature can replace it, pushing many regions into “water bankruptcy,” according to a new report from the United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health (UNU-INWEH). The report compares Earth’s hydrological system to a household’s finances. Rivers, rainfall and snow represent annual income, while glaciers, wetlands and aquifers are long-term savings. Many regions have withdrawn too much water from both the “income” and “savings” accounts, leading to a water bankruptcy. “This report tells an uncomfortable truth: many regions are living beyond their hydrological means, and many critical water systems are already bankrupt,” lead author Keveh Madani said in a statement. Many water systems have been overdrawn for more than 50 years, the report finds. Roughly 70% of large aquifers show long-term decline while 30% of glacier mass has been lost since the 1970s due to a warming climate. Some mountains in low and mid latitudes are expected to lose their glaciers completely in the coming decades, meaning the rivers they feed won’t be replenished. When glaciers melt and aquifers are pumped dry, those resources can’t be replaced in a human timescale. Scientists have long warned of a global water crisis, but water bankruptcy is the post-crisis stage of irreversible damage to water systems. “The language of crisis — suggesting a temporary emergency followed by a return to normal through mitigation efforts — no longer captures what is happening in many parts of the world,” the report authors note. Agriculture accounts for roughly…This article was originally published on Mongabay

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