The ANU Institute for Water Futures invites you to join us for a panel discussion exploring a provocative and increasingly relevant question: are we entering an era of water bankruptcy?

While water stress and crisis are familiar terms in policy and research debates, the concept of “water bankruptcy” pushes the conversation further  - into questions of governance, valuation, responsibility, accountability, equity, and systemic risk. It challenges us to consider not just scarcity, but whether we are living beyond our hydrological means.

This discussion is especially timely following the recent United Nations University report, Global Water Bankruptcy: Living Beyond Our Hydrological Means in the Post-Crisis Era, which argues that many river basins and aquifers are already operating beyond sustainable limits.

The framing also resonates strongly with current geopolitical instability - including in the Middle East - where water vulnerability is shaped not only by hydrology and climate pressures, but also by governance fragility, conflict dynamics, and regional power relations. In these contexts, water insecurity becomes deeply intertwined with political and institutional instability.

This interdisciplinary panel will explore:

• The assumptions underpinning the “water bankruptcy” concept
• Where this framing is analytically and practically useful — and where it may fall short
• The implications for governance, sustainability, resilience, and equity
• Whether this framing advances thinking in meaningful ways, or risks oversimplifying complex hydrological and social realities
  Format

Join us for what promises to be a timely and thought-provoking conversation at the intersection of water, governance, and global stability.