PREVIEW

New Study Highlights Global Acceleration of Groundwater Depletion. 'The Independent' reports that groundwater sources around the world are being depleted faster than they have been in the past 40 years. A new study published in the journal 'Nature' urgently calls for the world to address this matter. Declines were most notably found in dry regions with extensive cropland, while increases in some aquifers were the result of new policies regarding water management. "Our study is a tale of bad news and good news. The novelty of the study lies in its global scope." Scott Jasechko, lead author and professor of water resources at the University of California, Santa Barbara, via 'The Independent'. 'The Independent' reports that groundwater is one of the world's main freshwater sources, which makes depleting aquifers an urgent concern. The overpumping of aquifers can result in wells running dry or land sinking, which threatens both residential development and farming. The study highlights that underground water supplies are being strained by farming, urban development and industry. The study also stresses that governments across most of the world have done little to regulate groundwater. "Our analysis suggests that long-term groundwater losses are neither universal nor irreversible." Study authors, via 'The Independent'. Researchers found that the rate of decline for about 20% of the aquifers studied was slowing down compared to rates from the 1980s and 1990s. THIS VIDEO MUST NOT BE EDITED FOR LENGTH TO COMBINE WITH OTHER CONTENT