WMO: Water cycle becoming extreme and unpredictable

The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has sounded the alarm, stressing that the water cycle is "increasingly disrupted and extreme”, with direct consequences for human societies. In 2024, the hottest year ever measured, only a third of the planet's river basins showed normal values.

• Glaciers are melting faster: 450 gigatons lost in one year

All glacial regions have recorded massive decreases in ice cover for the third consecutive year. According to the WMO, 450 gigatons have been lost - the equivalent of a giant block of ice measuring 7 km on each side, or enough water for 180 million Olympic swimming pools. This melting is contributing to a 1.2 mm rise in sea levels in a single year, increasing the risk of flooding for hundreds of millions of people in coastal areas.

• Severe droughts and catastrophic floods

The Amazon basin, southern Africa and other regions have faced devastating droughts, while tropical Africa has been hit by torrential rains that have killed 2,500 people and displaced 4 million people. Europe has experienced its worst flooding in a decade, and Asia and the Pacific region have seen record rainfall and tropical cyclones that have killed more than 1,000 people.

• Only a third of rivers and lakes still have "normal” flows

Over the past six years, only a third of the Earth's watersheds have been operating within normal limits. The rest have experienced either a water surplus or a major deficit, confirming the sharp imbalance in the water cycle in nature.

• Global freshwater crisis: billions affected

According to the UN, 3.6 billion people have insufficient access to water at least one month a year. By 2050, this number could exceed 5 billion, amid the intensification of extreme events and increasing pressure on freshwater resources.