Over 70% of the Earth's surface is covered in water, but less than 0.02% is fresh water in lakes and rivers. An even smaller fraction of that fresh surface water is safe for humans to consume and farm. Still, according to Brian Richter, President of Sustainable Waters, humans are drawing too heavily on those resources without allowing replenishment.
What's worse, climate change is threatening to exacerbate the problem by drying out some already overstressed water sources, like the Colorado river.
"By the year 2050, we could have between 20 and 30% less water in that river system because of climate warming," he said during a GZERO Live event organized by the Sustainability Leaders Council, a partnership between Eurasia Group, GZERO Media, and Suntory. Watch what he says to find out why he's still hopeful humans will adapt.
Watch the full livestream conversation: The global water crisis and the path to a sustainable future
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TODAY at 12 pm ET: Watch our Global Stage live premiere from the Munich Security Conference
Tune in today at 12pm ET/6pm CET for the live premiere of our Global Stage from the 2026 Munich Security Conference, where our panel of experts takes aim at the latest global security challenges. NY Times National Security Correspondent David Sanger moderates the discussion with Benedetta Berti, Secretary General, NATO Parliamentary Assembly; Ian Bremmer, President & Co-founder, Eurasia Group & GZERO Media; Dr. Wolfgang Dierker, Global Head of Government Affairs, SAP; and Brad Smith, Vice Chair & President, Microsoft.