Fossil fuel pollution is disrupting the global water cycle
The World Meteorological Organization's State of Global Water Resources report for 2025 finds the water cycle growing more erratic as fossil fuel pollution warms the planet, driving shrinking rivers, disappearing glaciers and larger swings between floods and drought. Satellite data show 42% of the world had freshwater storage below historical norms in 2025, groundwater wells and river flows were frequently outside normal ranges, and glaciers lost enough water from 2023–2025 to fill roughly 560 million Olympic pools. The shifts raise risks to water security, hydropower, agriculture and two billion people who rely on glacial melt, while El Niño may amplify extremes.
Global freshwater storage fell, with 42% below norms in 2025.
Context
The WMO published an annual report covering 2025, one of the warmest years on record. It found declining freshwater storage and widespread glacier loss. The report says strengthening El Niño could make droughts and floods worse in some…
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