The United Nations (UN) opened its first conference on water security in almost half a century on Wednesday, with a plea to governments to better manage one of humanity’s shared resources.
A quarter of the world’s population relies on unsafe drinking water while half lacks basic sanitation, the UN said. Meanwhile, nearly three quarters of recent disasters have been related to water.
“We are draining humanity’s lifeblood through vampiric overconsumption and unsustainable use, and evaporating it through global heating,” said UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres.
Ensuring access to clean drinking water and sanitation is part of the 17-point to-do list the U.N. has set
