Europe’s material consumption is threatening the world’s water supply, according to new research launched this thursday by Friends of the Earth Europe and the Sustainable Europe Research Institute in the new resource report “Under Pressure. How our material consumption threatens the plantes water resources”.

Europe’s high levels of water use are characteristic of alarming levels of resource use by a minority of the global population. On average each European consumes 4,750 litres of water per day (direct and indirect use), whereas in Africa the average is 3,350 litres. The findings come with a warning that Europe is neglecting the catastrophic consequences that water stress and scarcity will have in Europe and in the rest of the world, and with a call to governments to start measuring Europe’s overall water and material use.

The report highlights how little consideration is given to the impact on local communities and the local environment of production processes, such as the case of water usage in lithium extraction in Chile.

You can download the report here.