Half of the world's wetlands have been lost since 1900. (WWAP – Facts and Figures)
Today, about 700 million people live in countries experiencing water stress or scarcity. By 2035, it is projected that 3 billion people will be living in conditions of severe water stress. (World Bank)
Sea levels have raised 20cm over the 20th century; in Asia, the homes of 94 million people could be flooded by the end of the century, leading to large-scale migration. (DFID)
Water insecurity linked to climate change threatens to increase malnutrition by 75–125 million people by 2080, with staple food production in many Sub-Saharan African countries falling by more than 25%. (UNDP 2006, p.37)
If current consumption patterns continue, 2/3 of the world’s population will live in water stressed environments by 2025 (Pacific Institute 2007 in UNWWDR3 p.36)
Changes of a few degrees Celsius together with the predicted increase in rainfall could make river flows and water availability increase by 10-40 % in some regions (GWP 2009:9)
A global temperature increase of 3-4°C could cause changed run-off patterns and glacial melt and will force an additional 1.8 billion people to live in a water scarce environment by 2080. (UNDP 2007/2008)