The United Nations Office at Geneva
Multimedia Newsroom
Edited News , Press Conferences | WMO
WMO: With the global hydrological cycle out of control, more early warnings needed
WMO: Global water cycle is out of control, more early warnings needed
The earth’s water cycle is spinning out of balance and human activity is to blame, the UN Meteorological Organization (WMO) said on Thursday, as it called for increased early warnings and more coordinated water management policies.
“The key message is that the global hydrological cycle is changing and many of the impacts of climate change they are felt through water, flooding, drought, and also melting of glaciers,” said Prof. Petteri Taalas, WMO Secretary-General.
He added that “about half of the world has experienced an increase of flooding events and about one-third of the planet has been facing an increase of drought events. We know that one degree of warming of the climate means that we have seven per cent more humidity in the atmosphere, which means that it is enhancing the flooding potential.”
Speaking in Geneva, the WMO chief urged greater investment in a “better understanding of the water cycle”, to monitor the resources and to understand “what kind of impacts of climate change we have been facing so far, but especially what we are going to face in the future”.
The WMO State of Global Water Resources Report 2022 builds on a pilot project issued last year and contains more expanded information on important hydrological variables such as groundwater, evaporation, streamflow, terrestrial water storage, soil moisture, cryosphere (frozen water), inflows to reservoirs, and hydrological disasters.
Information was gathered via field observations, satellite-based remote sensing data and numerical modelling simulations to assess water resources at the global scale.
The overwhelming majority of disasters are water-related and so water management and monitoring lies at the heart indicates the report. In the summer of 2022, severe droughts impacted many parts of Europe posing transportation challenges in rivers including the Danube and Rhine and disrupting nuclear electricity production in France owing to the lack of cooling water.
In 2022, snow cover in the Alps - crucial for feeding major rivers such as the Rhine, Danube, Rhone, and Po - was much lower than average. The European Alps witnessed unprecedented levels of glacier mass loss.
“The melting of glaciers is speeding up”, said WMO’s Secretary-General. “In the report we are showing that, for example, the Swiss mountain glaciers, especially the Alpine ones, they have lost about ten percent of their mass last year and this year which is a record.”
In 2022, over 50 per cent of the global catchment areas experienced change from normal river discharge conditions. Most of these areas were drier than normal, while a smaller percentage of basins displayed above or much above normal conditions. This was similar to 2021, according to the report.
“We will have challenges to get water for agriculture, for human beings, industry, and also for hydropower production,” said Prof. Taalas. “We also know that the warming of rivers and waters in general is causing problems for power production.”
“More than 70 per cent of the water that is used by humans is used for agriculture and to produce food and therefore absolutely critical for food and nutrition security,” said Stefan Uhlenbrook, WMO’s Director of Water and Cryosphere department. “In some countries it is even more than 90 per cent of all the water withdrawals from the systems, so the water supply is actually used for food production. Drinking water is globally roughly 10 to 12 per cent of the water that is used for the direct human consumption or domestic use.”
Currently, 3.6 billion people face inadequate access to water at least a month per year and this is expected to increase to more than five billion by 2050, according to UN Water.
“What is the solution? We need to manage the demand. Using 90 per cent of the water withdrawals for agriculture in largely inefficient irrigation systems is not the way forward,” said Mr. Uhlenbrook. “We need to think about more efficient irrigation technology. We need to think about: only irrigate where necessary, think about which crops are produced there. For instance, very thirsty, very water intensive crops to grow them in the middle of the desert is maybe economically still viable but environmentally not sustainable anymore.”
-ends-
STORY: State of Global Water Resources Report 2022 - WMO
TRT: 3 min 12s
SOURCE: UNTV CH
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS
ASPECT RATIO: 16:9
DATELINE: 12 October 2023 GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
- Exterior medium shot: UN flag alley, UN Geneva
- Wide shot: speakers at the press conference
- SOUNDBITE (English) – Prof. Petteri Taalas, WMO Secretary-General: “The key message is that the global hydrological cycle is changing and many of the impacts of climate change they are felt through water, flooding, drought, and also melting of glaciers. We have to invest in better understanding of the water cycle and monitor the resources to understand what kind of impacts of climate change we have been facing so far, but especially what we are going to face in the future.”
- Medium shot, photographers in briefing room
- SOUNDBITE (English) – Prof. Petteri Taalas, WMO Secretary-General: “About half of the world has experienced an increase of flooding events and about one third of the planet has been facing an increase of drought events. We know that one degree of warming of the climate means that we have seven percent more humidity in the atmosphere, which means that it is enhancing the flooding potential.”
- Wide shot: speakers and attendees at the press conference, screens with speaker
- SOUNDBITE (English) – Prof. Petteri Taalas, WMO Secretary-General: “The melting of glaciers is speeding up. In the report we are showing that, for example, the Swiss mountain glaciers, especially the Alpine ones, they have lost about ten percent of their mass last year and this year which is a record.”
- Close shot, journalist in briefing room
- SOUNDBITE (English) – Prof. Petteri Taalas, WMO Secretary-General: “We will have challenges to get water for agriculture, for human beings, industry, and also for hydropower production. We also know that the warming of rivers and waters in general is causing problems for power production.”
- Medium shot: speakers at the press conference on podium
- SOUNDBITE (English) – Dr Stefan Uhlenbrook, WMO Director of Water and Cryosphere department: “More than 70 percent of the water that is used by humans is used for agriculture. It is used to produce food – and therefore it is absolutely critical for food and nutrition security. In some countries it is even more than 90 percent of all the water withdrawals from the systems, so the water supply is actually used for food production. Drinking water – as your question is very important – is globally roughly ten to twelve percent of the water that is used for the direct human consumption or domestic use.”
- Close shot, photographer in briefing room
- SOUNDBITE (English) – Dr Stefan Uhlenbrook, WMO Director of Water and Cryosphere department: “What is the solution? We need to manage the demand. Using 90 percent of the water withdrawals for agriculture in largely inefficient irrigation systems is not the way forward. We need to think about more efficient irrigation technology. We need to think about: only irrigate where necessary, think about which crops are produced there. For instance, very thirsty, very water intensive crops to grow them in the middle of the desert is maybe economically still viable but environmentally not sustainable anymore.”
- Wide shot: press conference room, screens with speaker
- Medium shot: attendees at the press conference
- Medium shot: photographers in briefing room
Similar Stories
1
1
1
Edited News | IOM , OHCHR , UNFPA , UNOG , UNHCR , WHO
Yemen’s humanitarian crisis growing by the hour amid spike in displacement
Yemenis displaced by renewed fighting have described fleeing for their lives amid shelling and gunfire, aid agencies reported on Friday, while highlighting the dramatic increase in humanitarian needs in the country and in Djibouti, where thousands have sought shelter.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
The UN Human Rights Office issued on Friday a report documenting a shocking pattern of sexual violence amid Russia’s full-scale armed attack on Ukraine.
1
1
1
Press Conferences | IOM , OHCHR , UN WOMEN , UNFPA , UNHCR , UNOPS , WHO
UN Geneva briefing: Yemen crisis worsens, urgent aid needed across multiple sectors.
1
1
1
Press Conferences | HRC
Press conference on the latest report of the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela to the UN Human Rights Council
1
1
1
Press Conferences | OHCHR
Victims Still Waiting: A Global Briefing on Transitional Justice Around the World
2
1
2
Edited News , Press Conferences | WMO
As world’s water reserves change, countries must prepare for a new reality: WMO
New data showing that rivers were at their lowest level for decades last year provides further evidence that the climate crisis is real and countries must act immediately to protect themselves from the increasing threat to communities and livelihoods, the UN World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said on Thursday.
The key findings from WMO’s State of Global Water Resources 2025 report covering the hydrological cycle and extreme events in the five-year period to last year:
- 2025 was one of driest years for river discharge in 35 years
- Past seven years have seen abnorfmal river flows
- Water storage on Earth’s land surface has decreased in past decade
- Widespread glacier loss across all regions for fourth consecutive year
- Asia and Africa are regions most affected by water-related disasters
- Water data availability has improved, but gaps remain in hard-hit areas
Highlighting the long-term decline in the Earth’s freshwater storage and glacier melt, WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo explained that the planet’s water reserves used to act as a planetary “savings account” that absorbed the occasional dry season, avoiding a water crisis. “One of the central stories of the 2025 report is what is happening to that savings account? And the simple answer is that we are depleting it,” she told journalists in Geneva.
Groundwater reserves are equally stretched and have been in decline since 2014, WMO’s report states, with nearly two-thirds of monitored wells worldwide showing levels lower than the historical norm and indicating a shift “further toward deficit…not recovery”.
“At the same time, we are seeing more water-related disasters,” Ms. Saulo said, while also stressing that the currently strengthening El Niño “will increase the risk of drought in some areas, and flooding in others”.
Glaciers disappearing
In 2025, for the fourth consecutive year, every major glaciated region on Earth lost ice mass, leading to short-term hazards including floods and long-term water insecurity, according to WMO.
Responding to a question about whether the changing global water cycle might have contributed to the deadly Nepal-China flooding disaster, Ms. Saulo explained that melting ice and rock was just one factor in the chain of events that ultimately sent a massive and deadly wall of water and debris downstream on 26 August, killing at least 1,367 people.
“You asked if it could happen again? Absolutely; the problem in this region is that there’s 63,700 glaciers at the last count,” she told a Press Conference in Geneva. “Even if you’re looking with remote sensing with satellites at these glaciers, you might see some faults, you might see some slight shifting, that does not mean necessarily catastrophic collapse. So, in order to plan for this, it’s very, very difficult. But the international community is looking very hard at ways in which we can bring people together to solve some of these monitoring issues.”
Data indicates that glaciers shrank between 2023 and 2025 with cumulative losses of 1,400 gigatonnes of water – or about one third of annual fresh water needs.
Every major glacier region on Earth lost ice for the fourth consecutive year.
“All 19 glacier regions around the globe lost ice; in Central Asia, Iceland, the Russian Arctic and western Canada and the United States, it was among the three worst years on record,” said Wayne Jenkinson, WMO’s Director of Hydrology and Cryosphere.
Some regions with smaller glaciers such as Central Europe, the Caucasus, the western Canada and the United States may already have reached “peak water”, Mr. Jenkinson warned.
“After this point, the glacier gives less meltwater each year simply because there is less ice left to melt. That matters for every community downstream that relies on water during hot, dry summers,” he explained.
Narelle van der Wel, WMO’s Head of Cryosphere Monitoring, Predictions and Services, stressed that while some further glacier loss is unavoidable, the eventual scale of the decline is not predetermined.
“Some glacier loss is inevitable, but total loss of glaciers is not yet inevitable,” she said, pointing to emissions reductions as central to limiting future losses.
Preparing for moving baselines
The report does not attribute every observed change to climate change alone. WMO says pressure on water resources and natural variability also contribute.
Mr. Jenkinson said governments need to prepare for “moving baselines” as historical patterns become less reliable.
“The situation 30 years ago is not where we are today,” he said. Countries, he added, need to prepare “for those changes that have really already arrived”.
ends
1
1
1
Edited News | OCHA , WHO
The deadly Ebola virus outbreak in DR Congo continues to spread across the vast country despite some success in containing it, aid officials said on Tuesday, in a renewed call for international support to help responders on the ground.
1
1
1
Press Conferences | WMO , OCHA , WHO , UNICEF , UN WOMEN , OHCHR , IOM , UNHCR
Update on Ebola from WHO and OCHA, update on the situation of children with the beginning of school in Ukraine from UNICEF, UN Women on the impact of the settlers and restrictions on women and girls in West Bank, OHCHR on the recovery of extensive human remains in Gaza, IOM and UNHCR on the new wave of displacement in Yemen
2
1
2
Press Conferences , Edited News | WFP
‘Super El Niño’ and converging crises worsen hunger in South Sudan and across the region - WFP
South Sudan’s hunger crisis is becoming increasingly catastrophic as violence, extreme weather and dwindling aid leave millions without enough food, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) warned on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Press Conferences | HRC
Update on the human rights situation in Belarus by the UN Group of Independent Experts on the Human Rights Situation in Belarus
1
1
1
Press Conferences | HRC , OHCHR
Update on the human rights situation in Syria by the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic
1
1
1
Edited News | UN WOMEN
In war-torn Gaza, a growing number of women-headed households face “impossible decisions” every day, amid ongoing Israeli airstrikes and still-scarce resources, UN humanitarians said on Tuesday.