With water making up around 70% of the earth’s surface, you might not think that water shortage would be a problem affecting us anytime soon. However, a worrying report from the World resources Institute (WRI) released last year revealed that around one-quarter of the global population face living in conditions of extremely high water stress.
Economic growth has been identified as one of the key factors contributing towards accelerating global water scarcity, as population expansion and growing urbanisation add to the pressures on finite freshwater resources. The UN Environmental Programme (UNEP) published a report in 2016 looking into the potential for decoupling water consumption from economic growth – essentially, moving to more sustainable forms of water use without reducing growth – stating that half the world could face severe water stress by 2030 unless this is achieved. But how can this be done in practice and how likely will this be?
To build a water efficient society, we need to change the way we use and manage water. This is especially the case for businesses, as around 88% of the global water supply is used for commercial purposes. Companies looking to implement a sustainable water strategy should not underestimate the strength of getting their communications right, to ensure that their message reaches the necessary people in the right way. Engaging and informing stakeholders about the strategy and efforts on water management can strengthen the measures and enforce the saving potential.
Thinking of the future, one of the things that come to mind is the expected population growth in the coming years. Availability of water resources in particular, is one of the most serious crises with remarkable implications for many other related world challenges: Poverty, hunger, ecosystem degradation, desertification, climate change, and even world peace and security.
About 71% of our world is covered with water, most of which is saline (97%) or frozen in ice sheets & glaciers (2%), only the remaining 1% being fresh water.
How is it possible that in a water-rich planet, humanity is struggling with water crisis? Water accessibility and availability are major drivers of the water crisis.
With the weather warming up as we hit the spring season, it’s a good time to think about effective seasonal preparations to cope with the hotter seasons. Droughts are becoming more of an issue and not just in the hottest countries that traditionally experience them.
Businesses are responsible for 88% of worldwide water use (69% agriculture and 19% other industries) so it’s vital that they are at the forefront of meeting the water management challenges of tomorrow.
The EU has a green building policy that requires new buildings to be energy-neutral by 2020. In practice, this means a commitment to ensure that buildings are water-efficient to reduce water consumption
To build a water-efficient society, we need to change the way we use and manage water. This is especially the case for businesses, as around 88% of the global water supply is used for commercial purposes. Companies looking to implement a sustainable water strategy should not underestimate the strength of getting their communications right, to ensure that their message reaches the necessary people in the right way. Engaging and informing stakeholders about the strategy and efforts on water management can strengthen the measures and enforce the saving potential.
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