A warming planet will raise our planet’s sea levels, acidify the oceans and bring water insecurity to millions if not billions of people. And that last note might have even worse prospects than previously predicted as according to a new report, climate change could even make our groundwater undrinkable.
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00:00A warming planet will raise sea levels, acidify the oceans, and bring water insecurity to
00:08millions if not billions of people.
00:11And that last note might have even worse prospects than previously predicted, as according to
00:15a new report, climate change could even make our groundwater undrinkable.
00:20According to a new study involving researchers from all over the globe, by 2100, aquifers
00:25that supply water to hundreds of millions of people around the planet could become toxic
00:29and unpotable.
00:30The report outlines that in the worst-case scenario, around 590 million people would
00:35see their groundwater supplies become dangerous to drink.
00:38That's because despite being more resilient to changes in temperature, groundwater is
00:42not impervious to it, meaning as the temperature goes up dramatically, groundwater temperatures
00:47will likely as well.
00:48Groundwater is already rife with pathogens, and if temperatures in that groundwater go
00:52up, it will be a mecca for dangerous bacteria and other harmful organisms.
00:57With the researchers writing, quote, that means it may not be safe to drink the water
01:00there without treatment.
01:02It may need to be boiled first, for example.
01:04The drinking water also gets warmed up in water pipes by heat in the ground.
01:08What's even more concerning is that one in four humans globally depend on drinkable groundwater
01:13to survive.