Living within the safe and just Earth system boundaries for blue water
No Thumbnail Available
Date
2023
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Nature Sustainability
Abstract
Safe and just Earth system boundaries (ESBs) for surface water and
groundwater (blue water) have been defined for sustainable water
management in the Anthropocene. Here we assessed whether minimum
human needs could be met with surface water from within individual
river basins alone and, where this is not possible, quantified how much
Groundwater would be required. Approximately 2.6 billion people live in
river basins where groundwater is needed because they are already outside
the surface water ESB or have insufficient surface water to meet human
needs and the ESB. Approximately 1.4 billion people live in river basins where
demand-side transformations would be required as they either exceed the
surface water ESB or face a decline in groundwater recharge and cannot
meet minimum needs within the ESB. A further 1.5 billion people live in river
basins outside the ESB, with insufficient surface water to meet minimum
needs, requiring both supply- and demand-side transformations. These
results highlight the challenges and opportunities of meeting even the most basic
human access to water and protecting aquatic ecosystems.
Description
Research Article
Keywords
water, Anthropocene, Earth system