Archive for April 8, 2020

How water scarcity triggers the refugee crisis – and what tech can do to solve it

Most people assume that refugees are pushed to leave their homes because of violence and political conflict. While that is often the case, climate change and global water shortages play a much larger role in human migration than most realize. The UN’s 2016 World Water Development Report estimated that by 2050, around 200 million people could be displaced as a result of desertification, sea level rise and increased extreme weather events.

There is no denying that our planet is suffering from climate change, and that it affects us all. However, the most affected are always those living in more vulnerable areas – locations with arid or semi-arid climates, such as Africa and the Middle East. Every year, thousands of people are forced to leave their homes as a direct consequence of climate-related impediments to drinking water and food production. Read more