Walking on Water

http://www.guardian.co.uk/sustainable-business/water-footprinting-local-issue
Author: Burrows, David
Source: The Guardian
Year: 2011
Number of pages: 6

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Abstract:

If you thought carbon footprinting was tough, wait till you get to water. With supplies falling fast, smart companies are seeking ways to shrink their thirst.

Look around you: at home, in the office, on the train, in the cafe… Almost everything you see took significant amounts of water to produce, source or transport. We depend on this precious resource for our health, our food, our infrastructure and industry. But until now, we've taken its abundant supply for granted, and paid very little for the privilege.

These days of plenty will soon be over. Consultants McKinsey predict that by 2030 global water requirements will have grown from 4,500 billion m3 today to 6,900 billion m3. Such a hike means demand will exceed our current reliable and accessible supplies by 40%. And these are becoming increasingly unreliable as climate change kicks in.