Around the world, climate change, population growth, and industrial development are together disrupting familiar patterns of water availability. While outright conflict over water is rare, these water stressors can join with social and political triggers to destabilize already vulnerable regions. The result can be major food shortages, forced migration, or, in extreme cases like Syria, devastating war.
This week, combining data from water and conflict indices with an analysis of geopolitical factors, Circle of Blue identifies 10 places where water could play a role in developing or exacerbating humanitarian crises.