U.N. Warns of Severe Water Shortage by 2025

More than 2.7 billion people will face severe shortages of fresh water by 2025 if the world keeps consuming water at today’s rates, the United Nations warned in a report marking World Water Day.

Worldwide, about 5 billion people will be living in areas where it will be difficult or impossible to meet all their needs for fresh water, creating “a looming crisis that overshadows nearly two-thirds of the Earth’s population,” the report said.

The report was released in Vienna by the International Atomic Energy Agency, a nuclear watchdog organization leading the U.N. effort to draw attention to the world’s water crisis and urge the launch of a “blue revolution” to conserve supplies and develop new ones.