Water services provider Veolia Water has launched GrowingBlue.com, a site that uses animated maps, infographics and case studies to help municipalities, businesses and consumers better understand water challenges in 180 countries.
The site includes water availability scenarios for 2050 and explanations of the link between water and economic prosperity, societal stability and environmental sustainability.
According to new data presented on the GrowingBlue.com site, almost half of the world's economy and 4.8 billion people, roughly half the world's expected population, could be located in regions facing water limitations by 2050.
In rapidly developing countries such as China and India, water scarcity will begin to materially risk growth. In these two areas alone, 2.7 billion people will live in areas of high water stress by 2050.
Low-income countries will be more strongly affected, however, with 39 percent of these countries experiencing much more severe shifts towards water stress than more industrialized countries.
Many of the most advanced regions of the industrialized world, such as California, will also have to cope with water scarcity and its effects on growth.
Veolia Water was the main underwriter of the site, in collaboration with Global Water Intelligence, and with consultation from industry, academia and non-profits, including the Clean Water America Alliance and the International Food Policy Research Institute.