Water

Five billion could be short of water by 2050, says UN

21 Mar 18 - More than five billion people could suffer water shortages by 2050 due to climate change, increased demand and polluted supplies, according to a UN report.

What Day Zero means to Cape Town

26 Feb 18 - Day Zero in Cape Town is when most of the city’s water taps will be switched off.

Cities most likely to run out of drinking water (like Cape Town)

12 Feb 18 - Cape Town is in the unenviable situation of being the first major city in the modern era to face the threat of running out of drinking water.

Drought city's telltale map puts pressure on water users

24 Jan 18 - The latest weapon in Cape Town’s water saving arsenal is a map that exposes private meter readings to public scrutiny.

Changing climate threatens our water systems

27 Oct 17 - Much of New Zealand’s $20 billion worth of stormwater and wastewater systems will not cope with the impacts of climate change, an expert is warning.

On a parched planet, nations look to the clouds

26 Sep 17 - To cope with worsening heat and drought, countries from the United States to China are turning to “cloud seeding” to boost rainfall.

WAR AND WARMING: A great waterway comes under threat

8 Sep 17 - Hydrologists and climate scientists have just calculated the future of one of the world’s most celebrated waterways, the River Jordan. Their conclusion is that the outlook is poor − and getting poorer.

WATER WARNING: The world is drinking microplastic fibres

7 Sep 17 - Microplastic contamination has been found in tap water in countries around the world, leading to calls from scientists for urgent research on the implications for health.

How to turn $1 into $3: Plant the waterways

11 Aug 17 - Every dollar spent on planting New Zealand’s waterways would pay returns of at least $3.

Amazon dams plan is set to cost the Earth

4 Jul 17 - It’s one thing to harness a river. It’s quite another to build a series of Amazon dams and control the life of the planet’s richest habitat.

Climate change will alter flow of the Nile

3 May 17 - The 400 million people who depend on the predictability of the River Nile face an uncertain future as global warming delivers more extreme weather.

Government agrees dairying can't keep growing

28 Apr 17 - The Government is publicly acknowledging that the dairy industry is running into environmental limits.

IT'S OFFICIAL: Our water quality is getting worse

27 Apr 17 - Water quality in New Zealand’s rivers is getting worse, says an official government report out today – and there’s yet another warning that the country is running up against its environmental limits.

Antarctica is swimming with rivers, lakes and ponds

26 Apr 17 - The network of rivers, streams, ponds and lakes across Antarctica has been mapped for the first time, and the extent of water flow is phenomenal.

Clean water should be affordable to everyone

21 Apr 17 - Ask someone in Flint, Michigan, or São Paolo, Brazil — the list of cities rocked by water disasters seems to grow each day — how much safe, clean water is worth.

GLUCKMAN REPORT: It's clear our rivers need help

12 Apr 17 - New Zealand’s waterways are in trouble and climate change is making it worse, the Prime Minister’s chief science adviser is warning.

Vital groundwater being depleted faster than ever

5 Apr 17 - China, the world’s most populous country, doubled within just 10 years its use of irreplaceable groundwater from underground reservoirs that are replenished more slowly than they are drained.

There’s another climate change story ... and it starts with water

4 Apr 17 - In this time of reckless US action, it’s crucial to shift the narrative beyond despair over fossil fuels and look at water as a primary tool of climate control.

Recycled water could be key to sustainable development

28 Mar 17 - By 2025, absolute water scarcity will be a daily reality for an estimated 1.8 billion people.