eli5: If we have methods like desalination, why is the world suffering from a water shortage, when 70% of the Earth is water?

Question

Even though the water is saline, to the best of my understanding, you can convert saltwater into freshwater so why is there a water crisis?

In: Biology

Answer 1

Desalination takes a lot of energy. Energy costs money. The places without enough water often also have little money. The only places you find desalination plants are rich areas, like the Arabian Gulf oil states. Go just a few miles southwest to Yemen, and there’s no water any more. They used it all up and have no oil to sell for money or burn for energy. So no desalination for them. Cannot has.