Transparency crucial to Paris climate scenarios

Groundwater is a hidden resource that can store 100 times as much as global freshwater lakes and rivers (1). In China, groundwater serves as the primary source for drinking water for 70% of the population (2). Historically, China has lagged behind developed countries in managing and protecting groundwater. Over the past several decades, China has rapidly depleted groundwater reserves (2). Overexploitation of groundwater for domestic, agricultural, and industrial uses, exacerbated by climate change, has resulted in about 920,000 km2 with substantial land subsidence (3) and more than 10,000 km2 of coastal areas affected by seawater intrusion (4). It has also contributed to the loss of more than 16,000 km2 of wetlands (5) and to more than half of the country’s 50,000 rivers drying up (6). Overuse has left China’s groundwater in a perpetual state of crisis (7)