Some 2 billion people globally already lack regular access to fresh drinking water, while half the world's population suffer water scarcity for a part of the year. This also means less money for necessary food imports or the major infrastructure required for easing water scarcity, such as dams and desalination plants. India's rural poor suffer most from water scarcity. US water access declining as temperatures riseResidents suffering from limited water access in the United States are also enduring the economic costs. "The easiest way to protect the US economy from these shocks is to universalize water access," he told DW.