Much concern has been expressed in recent years in the sense that the world is running out of water, especially when it is considered that the world population will increase to around 9 billion people by 2050, and the world’s economic activities and food requirements will increase as well. This is linear thinking, scientifically inaccurate, technically invalid, and there is no question that it will prove to be wrong. The water scarcity problems that the world is facing are due to the past and the current processes and practices that are being used in various countries, which are, for the most part, highly inefficient. While there are signs of improvement in certain countries, the efficiency of overall water management in the world as a whole leaves much to be desired. Some signs of improvement can be seen in many parts of the world, but much more remains to be done.
By Asit K. Biswas, 2009. Article published in Rencontre internationale ‘Le changement climatique: enjeux et perspectives d’adaptation pour le Maroc’, Rabat, Morocco.