What will we do without water?

In southern Europe there is often little rain. The summers there are long and very hot. In 2022 the great river Po in Italy had very little water. In Spain and Portugal many lakes were almost empty.

Agriculture uses the most water in the world. About 70 per cent of the water goes to the fields. Rice, cotton and avocados need particularly large amounts of water. But they often grow precisely in dry and warm regions.

When there is no rain, farmers use the water under the ground. But this water renews itself very slowly. In many countries there is less and less water under the ground. In Mexico City the ground slowly sinks because there is no water under the city.

Some countries, for example Israel and Saudi Arabia, make drinking water from the sea. But that needs a lot of energy and money. Each of us can save water at home. One kilogram of beef needs thousands of litres of water.