Water is essential to life on this planet. Yet there are signs that freshwater supplies are becoming more and more scarce. According to the UN, around 2 billion people – over 25% of the global population – already live in countries experiencing high water stress and it's predicted that around 700 million people could be displaced by extreme water scarcity by 2030. One of the key challenges is climate change, which is disrupting the global water cycle and affecting water supplies in a number of ways.

As we move away from fossil fuels to renewables, new technologies point to a cleaner energy scheme by decreasing the amount of greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions. In a planet with only 1% of fresh water, it is imperative that the new energy system pursues to decrease the water footprint (WF). Because a low-carbon footprint doesn’t necessarily mean a low water use. The water footprint (WF) is defined as the total annual volume of freshwater used to produce goods and services related to consumption.

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?

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.

Recycled water is more readily available than freshly sourced water. If systems can incorporate rainwater as well as treated wastewater, then this means access to a supply of water in no danger of running out.

Water is becoming more and more scarce as a resource, due to factors including global warming, poor water management and water-intensive commercial practices. But although there is a need for water sustainability strategies at all levels, water scarcity hasn't yet received the same attention as renewable energy when it comes to thinking of environmentally-friendly solutions.

As the worldwide consumption of water goes up, the amount of wastewater produced also rises and global pollution increases. Only the most economically advanced countries have sufficient wastewater treatment systems in place, meaning that the majority of water used worldwide is released back into the environment untreated. This not only has adverse effects on the environment and human health but also exacerbates the global water scarcity problem.