资源环境科技发展态势分析平台

The use of nonrenewable groundwater for irrigation increased by a quarter from 2000 to 2010, doubling in China alone, according to a new study published in Nature. The research suggests that unless action is taken by both producers and consumers, this trend could eventually lead to depleted water reserves, limited access to imported food, and increased food prices.

Groundwater – water that is taken from underground, as opposed to water found on the surface in rivers or lakes – supplies global agriculture with 43% of the water used for irrigating crops. Some sources of groundwater are considered nonrenewable, as their rate of recharge is slower than the rate at which they are used.

The depletion of local water reserves also risks putting large populations at serious danger during emergencies such as droughts, earthquakes, or fires, when immediate access to water is required.