With water shortages constraining food production growth, the world needs an effort to raise water productivity similar to the one that nearly tripled land productivity over the last half-century. Since 70 percent of world water use is devoted to irrigation, raising irrigation efficiency is central to raising water productivity overall.
Acute water shortages will change strategy, business operations; depletion of global water resources is more rapid, severe, and complex than anticipated.
The era of infrastructure-enabled growth is over, leaving planners, developers and policymakers looking for new ways to sustain growth and rising demand amid diminishing resources.
The dry bed of Australias Murray River
Macleans Magazine – 06 July 2009
From Tofino to Tucson, water experts are reporting similar climatic trends: a longer dry season, less snow, more rain and earlier spring melts.
Istanbul Water Consensus
World Water Council
Two hundred and fifty Local and Regional Authorities from forty-three countries were represented in Istanbul. The Local and Regional Authorities’ political process produced the Istanbul Water Consensus.
Oliver Brandes – cover for Going with the Flow (300p)
This report describes some of the key mechanisms available to allocate water in times of scarcity, with a particular focus on markets and market mechanisms. It highlights some of the advantages and disadvantages.
World Water Forum – logo
The huge amount of attention given to water issues at the 5th World Water Forum in Istanbul highlights the importance of finding water solutions to the critical challenges ahead
Colorado’s inherently dry climate coupled with several years of drought have led to increased awareness of the importance of water conservation both indoors and outdoors in recent years.
Companies around the world have been working for decades to manage their own water use and wastewater discharge. Now, as freshwater becomes increasingly scarce, and amid mounting competition between communities, industries, agriculture and ecosystems for finite resources, there is growing awareness that “to manage water globally, you need to know the water situation locally”.
The World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) officially launched its Global Water Tool during World Water Week in Stockholm on 15 August 2007. It's a free and easy-to-use tool for companies and organizations to map their water use and assess risks relative to their global operations and supply chains.
