Diminishing water supplies creating profound business risk
“With global temperatures on the rise, scientists expect water shortages, like those now in California and China, to spread across the globe and become even more severe. The consequences for our already reeling global economy will be profound. A diversity of businesses — from electronics manufacturers and power producers to apparel and food companies — can expect water bills to rise, allotments to decrease, and water quality regulations to tighten.
“Water is one of our most critical raw materials — even more important than oil, for there are no alternatives. Peter Brabeck-Letmathe, chairman of Nestlé, put it starkly in The Economist: ‘I am convinced that, under present conditions and with the way water is being managed, we will run out of water long before we run out of fuel.’
“Already, China, India, and the western United States are seeing growth limited by reduced water supplies from shrinking glaciers and melting snowcaps that sustain key rivers. Meanwhile, power plants in Australia, Europe, and the southeast United States have been forced to cut back on power generation because more frequent and intense heat waves and droughts are impacting water supplies.
Innlegg
