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Climate191 outlets ran this3 min read

Global water reserves drop, UN warns of erratic water cycle

A World Meteorological Organization report indicates 2025 was one of the driest years for river flows in 35 years.

AI-assisted coverage comparison, editor-supervised · How this was made

Published Updated
Global water reserves drop, UN warns of erratic water cycle

What this story says

  • Global freshwater reserves have dropped, with one report stating they are 42% below the norm.
  • 2025 was one of the driest years for river flows in the last 35 years, according to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).
  • Continental water storage, including groundwater, rivers, and lakes, has been on a downward trend since 2014-2016.
  • The UN warns that the water cycle has become more irregular and unpredictable, with fossil fuel pollution cited as a contributing factor.

Who covered it

Left 20%(18)Centre 54%(50)Right 26%(24)

Percentages are shares of the 92 outlets carrying a published leaning rating. 99 of the 191 outlets we know ran this story carry no rating and are not counted in them. Coverage measured .

Trust

42/100

Craft

45/100

Hype

41/100

191 sources · methodology

Global freshwater reserves have fallen significantly, with the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) reporting that 2025 was one of the driest years for river flows in the last 35 years. Continental water storage, encompassing groundwater, rivers, lakes, soil, vegetation, snow, and ice, has been on a downward trend since 2014-2016. The United Nations has warned that the water cycle has become more irregular and unpredictable. Fossil fuel pollution is cited as contributing to the Earth's water cycle being off balance.

Disagreement on water reserve levels

One report states that global freshwater reserves are 42% below the norm, according to the World Meteorological Organization. Other reports do not provide a specific figure for the deficit in global freshwater reserves.

What the coverage left out

None of the left-rated reports covered this story. The centre-rated reports did not mention the WMO's findings on river flows or continental water storage trends. The right-rated reports did not mention fossil fuel pollution as a cause for the water cycle being off balance.

Tags:#ClimateChange#WaterScarcity#WMO#UN#ElNino#FossilFuels

Coverage settled. We checked this 282 times and stopped on 23 Sept 2026, 11:30. The figures above are what it finished at.

How each side covered it

Our own reading of the reporting listed below, written from the outlets’ articles rather than quoted from them. The reasoning is set out on our methodology page.

Left

18 rated outlets

  • Left-rated outlets reported that global freshwater reserves are declining, with rivers experiencing one of the driest years in decades in 2025. Ten outlets noted the World Meteorological Organization's warning about the long-term downward trend in water supplies.
  • These reports highlighted that over a third of river basins had below-normal water flow. Several outlets also mentioned glacier melt and the increasing irregularity and unpredictability of the water cycle.
  • IndexHR, which published a full report, quoted WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo stating that "we are now spending from savings." The outlet also noted that some river basins, like those in South Asia, experienced excess water, indicating a more unstable cycle.

Centre

50 rated outlets

  • Nine centre-rated reports led on the statement that the Earth's water cycle is off balance, with officials saying it is having a significant impact on everyone. Six of these reports specifically cited fossil fuel pollution as contributing to this imbalance. These reports did not mention the WMO's findings on river flows or continental water storage trends.

Right

24 rated outlets

  • Four right-rated reports highlighted warnings from the UN and WMO regarding water shortages. Three of these reports mentioned that 2025 was one of the driest years for rivers in the last 35 years. One report stated that global freshwater reserves dropped 42% below the norm. Two reports noted the UN's warning that the El Niño phenomenon will exacerbate the water crisis. None of these reports mentioned fossil fuel pollution as a cause for the water cycle being off balance.

Questions about this coverage

How did the left and right cover Global water reserves drop, UN warns of erratic water cycle?
Of the 92 outlets on this story carrying a published leaning rating, 20% are rated left, 54% are rated centre, 26% are rated right. Those percentages are shares of the rated outlets, not of every outlet that ran it, which was 191. The sections above set out what each side emphasised, in its own terms.
Is Global water reserves drop, UN warns of erratic water cycle left or right?
Neither side dominates it. Of the 92 rated outlets on this story, 20% are rated left, 54% are rated centre, 26% are rated right, and no side holds the 70% this site would want before calling a field one-sided. A story is not left or right in any case; the outlets that carried it are what carry ratings.
Is the coverage of Global water reserves drop, UN warns of erratic water cycle biased?
Global water reserves drop, UN warns of erratic water cycle is one event reported by 191 outlets, and this page does not rate the story as biased or unbiased. What it publishes is the spread: which outlets ran it, where named rating organisations place each of them on the spectrum, and what each side chose to lead with. A leaning rating describes an outlet's record over time, not this article, and the two should not be run together.
Which outlets covered Global water reserves drop, UN warns of erratic water cycle?
191 that we know of, every one of them listed further up this page with a link to its own report and to what we hold on the publisher. Nothing here is a summary of somebody else's summary: the outlets are named so the original reporting can be read.
How dry was 2025 for global river flows?
According to the World Meteorological Organization, 2025 was one of the driest years for river flows in the last 35 years. This indicates a significant reduction in water levels across the world's rivers during that period.
What is the trend in continental water storage?
Continental water storage, which includes groundwater, rivers, lakes, soil, vegetation, snow, and ice, has been on a downward trend since 2014-2016. This indicates a long-term depletion of water resources across the planet.
What does the UN warn about the water cycle?
The United Nations warns that the water cycle has become more irregular and unpredictable. This erratic behaviour is a significant concern for global water availability and management.

Read it at the source

191 outlets, grouped by the leaning a published rating gives them. Every headline links to the original; an underlined outlet name opens our profile of that publisher.

Left

18
Show 10 more

Centre

50
Show 42 more

Right

24
Show 16 more

Not rated

99
Show 91 more

How did this read?

About the coverage, not about the story. We do not ask whether you agree with what happened — we have no honest use for that answer.

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Global water reserves drop 42% | MediaBias News