China's move to higher-meat diet hits water security

Your Editorial 'A fresh approach to water' (Nature 452, 253; 2008) points out that the world's looming water crisis is driven by climate change, population growth and economic development. In China, changing food-consumption patterns are the main cause of the worsening water scarcity. If other developing countries follow China's trend towards protein-rich Western diets, the global water shortage will become still more severe. (Correspondence)