Global water crisis will intensify with climate breakdown, says report

Flooding, droughts and wildfires will worsen as global heating disrupts the planet's water cycle

Water problems - drought, with its accompanying wildfires, and flooding - are likely to become much worse around the world as climate breakdown takes hold, according to the biggest assessment of climate science to date.

Global heating of at least 1.5C is likely to happen within the next two decades, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Temperature rises will be accompanied by big changes in the planet's water cycle, with areas that are already wet becoming much wetter, and already arid areas becoming prone to greater drought. Extreme rainfall intensifies by 7% for each additional 1C of global heating, the report found.