HIGH COST OF CHEAP WATER

The report estimates the total quantifiable economic use value of water and freshwater ecosystems at US$58 trillion in 2021, representing 60% of global GDP. It argues that the world suffers from 'water blindness,' where direct use values (US$7.5 trillion) are prioritized over far more valuable indirect ecosystem services (US$50 trillion), such as water purification, flood regulation, and carbon sequestration. This undervaluation leads to overextraction, pollution, and habitat loss, with one-third of wetlands lost since 1970 and freshwater species populations declining by 83% on average. The document calls for a shift toward Nature-based Solutions, the implementation of the 'Freshwater Challenge' to restore 30% of degraded rivers and wetlands by 2030, and a fundamental change in how governments, businesses, and financial institutions value and manage water resources to build climate resilience.

• The total quantifiable economic use value of freshwater in 2021 is estimated at approximately US$58 trillion, which is equivalent to 60 per cent of global GDP.
• Indirect benefits of freshwater ecosystems, such as water purification and disaster risk reduction, are chronically undervalued despite generating approximately US$50 trillion annually, which is seven times more than direct use values.
• Direct use benefits of water for households, agriculture, and industry are valued at a minimum of US$7.5 trillion annually, representing 12 per cent of the total use value.
• Freshwater biodiversity is declining more rapidly than terrestrial or marine species, with average populations of freshwater species plummeting by 83 per cent over the last five decades.
• Significant habitat loss has occurred in the last 50 years, including the disappearance of one-third of the world's wetlands and the fact that only one-third of large rivers remain free-flowing.
• Water is a primary channel for climate crisis impacts; by 2050, droughts may affect over 75 per cent of the global population, and GDP could decline by up to 6 per cent in some regions due to water-related impacts.
• The 'Freshwater Challenge' is a country-led initiative aiming to restore 300,000 km of degraded rivers and 350 million hectares of degraded wetlands by 2030.
• Peatlands are critical for climate mitigation, storing more than twice as much carbon as the world's forests, but degraded peatlands accounted for 4 per cent of annual anthropogenic greenhouse emissions in 2021.
• Agriculture is the largest global water user, accounting for nearly 70 per cent of freshwater withdrawals from surface and groundwater.
• In the Mekong Delta, unsustainable sand mining and dam construction threaten sediment delivery, causing the delta to sink and shrink, with over 600 hectares of land lost annually to erosion.

APA

DeWit, W., Lawson-Johns, J., Lottner, F., & Guinchard, J.-C. (2023). HIGH COST OF CHEAP WATER. WWF International. https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/572/1o94sii9nx_WWF_High_Cost_of_Cheap_Water_FINAL_LR_.pdf

Chicago

DeWit, Wijnand, Julia Lawson-Johns, Felina Lottner, and Jean-Charles Guinchard. HIGH COST OF CHEAP WATER. WWF International, 2023. https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/572/1o94sii9nx_WWF_High_Cost_of_Cheap_Water_FINAL_LR_.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=DeWit |first1=Wijnand |last2=Lawson-Johns |first2=Julia |last3=Lottner |first3=Felina |last4=Guinchard |first4=Jean-Charles |title=HIGH COST OF CHEAP WATER |publisher=WWF International |date=October 2023 |url=https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/572/1o94sii9nx_WWF_High_Cost_of_Cheap_Water_FINAL_LR_.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{dewit2023high, author = {DeWit, Wijnand and Lawson-Johns, Julia and Lottner, Felina and Guinchard, Jean-Charles}, title = {{HIGH COST OF CHEAP WATER}}, institution = {WWF International}, year = {2023}, month = oct, url = {https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/572/1o94sii9nx_WWF_High_Cost_of_Cheap_Water_FINAL_LR_.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }