UNESDA position on Roadmap on New Circular Economy Action Plan

We cannot deny the current water challenges our world is facing. We are experiencing increased water scarcity, with demands for safe, usable water exceeding supply in many areas, including in Europe. 

• Freshwater use has been growing by about 1% per year since the 1980s and as water demand is expected to continue increasing at a similar rate until 2050, this will account for an increase of 20 to 30% above the current level of water use¹.
• This increase in water demand is leading to a reduction of renewable water resources of 24% per capita in Europe². 

• Around 30% of the European population lives in areas with permanent water stress and up to 70% live in areas with seasonal water stress during summer³.
• Europe’s aquatic ecosystems are severely degraded: only 17% of protected river, lake, alluvial, and riparian habitats are in good conservation status and 90% of protected wetland habitats are classified as poor or bad⁴.
• Globally, 85% of wetlands have been lost in the last 300 years, with more than 50% lost since 1990⁵. This is particularly critical as wetlands play an important role in filtering water and removing pollutants, as well as providing shelter to wildlife and capturing carbon.

This situation entails severe risks for the world’s population. 

• For the last decade, the World Economic Forum has placed water-related risks among the world’s top five in its annual Global Risks Report. 
• Water-related disasters have also dominated the list of disasters over the past 50 years and account for 70% of all deaths related to natural disasters⁶.
• Nearly 95% of infrastructure loss and damage reported between 2010 to 2019 were due to water-related disasters⁷. 
• More frequent and intensive flooding has cost lives and livelihoods across Europe, while at the same time, more than 50% of the continent has, in recent years, been affected by extreme drought conditions, which also breed a range of negative social, economic and human outcomes⁸.