Future Scenarios

Unlike most of the resources we consume such as oil, rice and steel, there is no alternative for water. As such it is the one resource that has become central to many corporate, government and NGO scenarios.

Increasing global population, urbanisation and overall economic growth are all driving increasing energy, food and water demand: As diets improve the water used to produce our food increases; as GDP per capita rises, so does energy and water demand. With population and economic growth driving this, the pressure on the supply of many primary resources is considerable. The full value of water is fast becoming apparent to a wider community.

By 2025 two-thirds of the world’s population will live in water-stressed regions. According to UN predictions, by 2050 the global population will have risen from 6 billion today to around 9 billion. These are certainties.

Uncertainties that are being included in varied water scenarios include how industry will change its water use; how agriculture will adapt; how cities will better manage water needs; how utilities will better manage water supply and how governments will, or will not cooperate, on sharing this, the world’s most precious resource.

One of several recently published views is the H20 scenarios published by the WBCSD. These offer three views of the role of business in relation to water. Key messages for organisations from this include:

• Growing water issues and complexity will drive up costs
• You don’t have to be in the water business to have a water crisis, and
• Business is part of the solution – as long as it understands the issues
  

Business in the world of water: The H2O Scenarios