Description:The global water crisis is expected to become more severe in the near future. In its 1997 annual report, the German Government's Advisory Council on Global Change presents an analysis of specific regions that are presently most affected by water shortages, and regions that will be particularly threatened by future water crises. In line with its past reports on global change, the Council examines three major "syndromes of global change" that are strongly linked to the worldwide water crisis. Based on this research, explicit recommendations for future research and for political action are presented.