21st Century Challenges

Revealed: the massive scale of UK’s water consumption

Each Briton uses 4,645 litres a day when hidden factors are included

Water becomes the new oil as world runs dry

Western companies have the know-how - and the financial incentive - to supply water to poor nations. But, as Richard Wachman reports, their involvement is already provoking unrest

Solution for the world’s water woes

Rising populations and growing demand is making the world a thirsty planet, says David Molden. In this week's Green Room, he says the solution lies in people reducing the size of their "water footprints".

Fit every home with water meter by 2020, says Environment Agency

Climate change and population growth could lead to serious shortages without universal metering, warns chief executive

China plans 59 reservoirs to collect meltwater from its shrinking glaciers

Major project for Xinjiang province amid concerns over future water supply

L.A.’s water emergency

Recent rains mean nothing; the city must get serious about dealing with water shortages.

Droughts ‘may lay waste’ to parts of US

The world's pre-eminent climate scientists produced a blunt assessment of the impact of global warming on the US yesterday, warning of droughts that could reduce the American south-west to a wasteland and heatwaves that could make life impossible even in northern cities.

Importing food means exporting drought

We need to change the way we eat if we are to tackle the looming catastrophe of water scarcity

Where Britain’s water footprint falls most heavily

Two thirds of the water needed to produce the UK's food and clothes is used in other countries

Hosepipe ban extended after 60 years

Hosepipe bans will be extended so households cannot fill swimming pools, wash windows or clean the patio during a dry spell as part of new legislation to deal with the increased threat of droughts and flooding.

As Iraq runs dry, a plague of snakes is unleashed

The rivers that made Iraq's dry soil so fertile are drying up because the supply of water, which once flowed south into Iraq from Turkey, Syria and Iran, is now held back by dams and used for irrigation. On the Euphrates alone, Turkey has five large dams upriver from Iraq, and Syria has two.

Importing goods, exporting drought

The hidden cost of what we consume

Water is an essential resource, but the scale of global water consumption needed to produce what we use and consume has a dramatic impact around the world.

Importing goods, exporting drought?

October 2009

George Alagiah chairs a discussion with Robin Farrington, WWF and Andy Wales, SAB Miller on the scale of global water consumption needed to produce what we use and consume and the dramatic impact it has around the world.

Watch the talks

People may have to go vegetarian to save planet says Lord Stern

Meat wastes water, creates greenhouse gases and could become as socially unacceptable as drink-driving