GroundWorx

Country Environmental Profiles

The environmental context, country by country.

Sourced reference profiles on water stress, drought monitoring, wildfire and irrigation for the markets GroundWorx serves — every figure linked to its official source.

United States

North America
Water stress
Medium-High baseline water stress
WRI Aqueduct 4.0 country rankings (2023)
Wildfire context
The National Interagency Fire Center coordinates national wildland-fire response and publishes situation reports, fire information and annual statistics.
National Interagency Fire Center · Live service
Irrigation & agriculture
Irrigation and thermoelectric power were the two largest water uses in the United States in 2015.
USGS — Estimated Use of Water in the United States in 2015 · 2015 reference, published 2018
Climate challenge
Persistent drought and warming in the Southwest make reliable soil-moisture management a major regional challenge.
NOAA Climate.gov — ENSO and the southwest U.S. megadrought (2024)

Australia

Oceania
Water stress
Medium-High baseline water stress
WRI Aqueduct 4.0 country rankings (2023)
Wildfire context
AFAC is the Australian and New Zealand national council for fire and emergency services, coordinating the sector's member agencies across both countries.
AFAC — National Council for fire and emergency services · Live service
Irrigation & agriculture
Australian farms applied 7.8 million megalitres of water to crops and pastures in 2020–21, irrigating 1.9 million hectares (historical release).
Australian Bureau of Statistics — Water Use on Australian Farms · 2020–21 reference, published 2022
Climate challenge
Drought, extreme heat and changing rainfall make water availability a central challenge for Australian agriculture and turf.
BOM & CSIRO — State of the Climate 2024

New Zealand

Oceania
Water stress
Low baseline water stress
WRI Aqueduct 4.0 country rankings (2023)
Wildfire context
Fire and Emergency New Zealand publishes annual New Zealand Wildfire Summary reports covering each July–June season.
Fire and Emergency New Zealand · 2023–24 report
Irrigation & agriculture
Irrigated agricultural land grew from 384,000 hectares in 2002 to 735,000 hectares in 2019 — a 91% increase.
Stats NZ — Irrigated land indicator · 2002–2019 reference, published 2021
Climate challenge
Projected warming and more hot days in the eastern South Island make heat and soil-water management important regional challenges.
Earth Sciences New Zealand — Regional climate projections

Canada

North America
Water stress
Low-Medium baseline water stress
WRI Aqueduct 4.0 country rankings (2023)
Wildfire context
Natural Resources Canada's Canadian Wildland Fire Information System monitors national fire conditions and occurrences.
Canadian Wildland Fire Information System (Natural Resources Canada) · Live service
Irrigation & agriculture
Canadian agricultural producers used approximately 2.2 billion cubic metres of water to irrigate crops in 2022.
Statistics Canada — Agricultural Water Survey · 2022 reference, published 2023
Climate challenge
Warming increases the risk of summer soil-moisture deficits in parts of Canada, making seasonal drought a concern despite abundant national freshwater resources.
Canada's Changing Climate Report — Executive Summary (2019)

United Kingdom

Europe
Water stress
Low-Medium baseline water stress
WRI Aqueduct 4.0 country rankings (2023)
Wildfire context
The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service publishes official wildfire prevention and preparedness guidance (Scotland; no UK-wide annual statistic is used here).
Scottish Fire and Rescue Service · 2026
Irrigation & agriculture
During England's 2022 drought, irrigation water mattered not only for crop growth but also for softening soil at harvest to reduce bruising in root crops such as potatoes.
Environment Agency — Supporting Farmers during Drought · 2022
Climate challenge
Hotter, drier summers and wetter winters create a dual challenge of summer moisture deficits and winter waterlogging.
Met Office — Climate change in the UK

Spain

Europe
Water stress
High baseline water stress
WRI Aqueduct 4.0 country rankings (2023)
Wildfire context
MITECO's national forest-fire information center publishes coordination and intervention information and links to AEMET fire-weather risk maps.
MITECO — National forest-fire information coordination · Live service
Irrigation & agriculture
Spain's agriculture ministry identifies efficient, sustainable irrigation as important for stabilising and securing food production under drought and reduced rainfall.
Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAPA) · 2023
Climate challenge
Projected warming and reduced precipitation make maintaining soil moisture a key challenge for agriculture and turf.
World Bank Climate Change Knowledge Portal — Spain

Chile

South America
Water stress
Extremely High baseline water stress
WRI Aqueduct 4.0 country rankings (2023)
Wildfire context
CONAF provides official forest-fire prevention and vegetation-management and mitigation guidance for Chile.
CONAF — Corporación Nacional Forestal · Live service
Irrigation & agriculture
FAO's irrigation mapping reports 1,084,382 hectares actually irrigated in Chile's 2007 agricultural census (historical figure, not current area).
FAO AQUASTAT — Global Map of Irrigation Areas: Chile · 2007 census
Climate challenge
Projected warming and a lower national median precipitation total heighten the importance of managing limited soil-water supplies.
World Bank Climate Change Knowledge Portal — Chile

South Africa

Africa
Water stress
Extremely High baseline water stress
WRI Aqueduct 4.0 country rankings (2023)
Wildfire context
Working on Fire delivers integrated fire management and wildfire response across South Africa, reporting programme fire attendance for 2016–2024.
Working on Fire · 2016–2024 reporting
Irrigation & agriculture
South Africa's Department of Water and Sanitation reports that over 60% of available freshwater resources is used for crop production.
Department of Water and Sanitation — National State of Water Report 2023 · 2023
Climate challenge
Warming and highly variable rainfall make soil-water conservation a central challenge in an already water-scarce country.
World Bank Climate Change Knowledge Portal — South Africa

These profiles are general reference material drawn from public sources — WRI Aqueduct, FAO AQUASTAT, the World Bank and national climate, drought and fire agencies. They are not site-specific advice, and nothing here is presented as a GroundWorx measurement. For what your own property is doing, start with a monitored root zone.

See what the ground is doing on your property.

Book a GAIN demo