(Reuters) - Groundwater levels across the world have shown widespread and "accelerated" decline over the past 40 years, driven by unsustainable irrigation practices as well as climate change, according to a study published on Wednesday.
Groundwater is a major source of fresh water for farms, households and industries, and depletion could pose severe economic and environmental threats, including falling crop yields and destructive land subsidence, particularly in coastal areas, said the study, published in the Nature scientific journal.
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