It is known for being energy-intensive, expensive and polluting. But with regions such as East Africa and the Middle East facing increasing drought and dwindling freshwater, is desalination vital?
In this repository, you will find the methodology, data and code behind the story that came out of this analysis.
Story by Holly Young and Kira Schacht
Read the full story on DW.com: EN | DE
The file Data.xlsx contains the FAO data our analysis is based on.
AQUASTAT is a database on water resources and agricultural water management maintained by the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization. It contains info on, among other variables, desalinated water produced by county and country groups annually up to 2020, renewable freshwater resources and water stress.
DesalData is a proprietary database documenting the global water market, including desalination plants and companies. It is run by Global Water Intelligence, a market research company focused on the water industry. They provided DW with the figures used in the story on the annual global capacity of desalination plants.