Center for a New American Security

While water is abundant on the planet, it is unevenly distributed and most (about 97 percent) is saltwater in the oceans, unsuitable for human consumption and agriculture without expensive and energy- intensive desalination.  According to the United Nations, these supply and other constraints mean that 1.1 billion people in the world are now without access to safe drinking water and 2.6 billion are without access to basic sanitation.  Moreover, according to the UN World of Water report, this problem is getting worse under the strain of growing populations and a changing climate; almost half of the world’s population will live in areas of high water stress by 2030. While research suggests that nations generally don’t go to war over water, there is certainly an ample record of conflict within societies, tension between states, and other water-related national security challenges, including the use of water resources as a tool of political influence.

Click here to learn more about our work on water.