Inger Andersen: About 3 billion people worldwide face water scarcity

About 3 billion people worldwide currently face water scarcity, and more than 90% of natural disasters are water-related, including drought and desertification, Inger Andersen, Executive Director of the UN Environment Programme, said at a COP29 event dedicated to the importance of water resource protection.

According to Report, she noted that climate change, land degradation, desertification, biodiversity loss, pollution, and waste crisis converge in the water context. "It's not just about water pollution, but also about insufficient soil moisture or inadequate evaporation for precipitation formation. At the same time, we're seeing an increase in disasters such as floods and forest fires. Reports show that in half of the countries providing us with information, one or more freshwater ecosystems are in a state of degradation," she said.

Andersen added that as the climate crisis deepens, the situation will only worsen, and the entire world will suffer as a result.

"Long-term sustainability and water resource management measures must take environmental factors into account. The main priority is to find new and effective solutions in this direction," she said.