Freshwater Scarcity as a Sustainability Indicator: An Empirical Assessment of Its Future Economic and Environmental Impacts

Shortage of freshwater has emerged as one of the most critical twenty-first-century sustainability challenges, impacting environmental stability, economic growth, and social wellbeing. This study examines freshwater shortages as a measure of sustainability to establish if they can influence future economic development. With an integrative mixed method of combining systematic literature analysis, bibliometric mapping, and conceptual modeling, the research identifies key drivers of water scarcity like climate change, agricultural intensification, industrial expansion, and inefficiency of governance. The study develops an Integrated Freshwater Sustainability Framework (IFSF) that considers the inter-connections among environmental, socio-economic, and policy drivers affecting freshwater availability. Current evidence from ASEAN economies and agriculture land-use studies confirms that good institutional governance and technological progress are capable of mitigating water stress while promoting sustainable growth. Findings highlight that good water management, use of renewable energy, and convergent policy measures are essential to preventing potential economic exposure. The research finds that freshwater shortage must not only be addressed as an environmental problem but also as a strategic measure of sustainability that is the core of world economic resilience and long-term development planning.