Deepening water scarcity in breadbasket nations

• DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-56022-6
• Publication Date: 2025-01-28T15:52:51Z
• Authors: Qinyu Deng; Tyler Sharretts; Tariq Ali; Yufei Zoe Ao; Davide Danilo Chi...; Betelhem Demeke; Landon Marston; Piyush Mehta; Mesfin Mekonnen; Maria Cristina Rulli; Marta Tuninetti; Wei Xie; Kyle Frankel Davis
• Keywords: Scarcity

Water is crucial for meeting sustainability targets, but its unsustainable use threatens human wellbeing and the environment. Past assessments of water scarcity (i.e., demand in exceedance availability) have often been spatially coarse temporally limited, reducing their utility targeting interventions. Here we perform a detailed monthly sub-basin assessment evolution blue surface ground) (years 1980-2015) world's three most populous countries – China, India, USA. Disaggregating by specific crops sectors, find that rose 60% (China), 71% (India), 27% (USA), dominated irrigation few key (alfalfa, maize, rice, wheat). We also during peak months has increased 101% 82% 49% (USA) 32% 61% (US) sub-basins experience at least 4 scarcity. These findings demonstrate rising demands are disproportionately being met resources already stressed regions provide basis potential solutions better balance needs humanity nature. intensifying USA, with growth equaling or outpacing total demand. nations increasingly relying on to meet needs.