Global water watch

Climate change and growing pressure on natural resources are existential threats to both humanity and nature. These threats require ambitious responses. Increasing water risks have led to more attention on water-related threats. While demand for water has risen sharply in many regions of the world, as a result of population growth and economic expansion, climate change is expected to decrease water supply, alter the timing of water availability, and increase the severity of droughts and floods. These growing pressures on water resources undermine water security and contribute to conflict, migration, health crises, and food and energy insecurity across the world. Data on global water resources is essential for managing these growing risks and challenges. Global Water Watch, supported by Google.org and the Water, Peace, and Security Partnership, will provide free, globally accessible, near-real-time information on water. Deltares, World Resources Institute (WRI), and World Wildlife Fund (WWF) are partnering to create the data platform, which will house information on over 70,000 global reservoirs and major river systems, derived using satellite data, machine learning, and cloud computing. This data will help decision-makers respond to extreme weather events, manage growing risks of climate change, make societies more climate resilient, and preserve and restore our vital ecosystems and the many services they provide.