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Water, Water, Everywhere-Really? Water is arguably the most important natural resource, we MUST Value Water More.

Water is arguably the most important natural resource, we MUST Value Water More, essential both for human survival and for the effective functioning of many industries. As climate variability impacts the availability of freshwater, and economic growth puts pressure on global water supplies, households as well as industrial, energy and agriculture sectors are increasingly likely to experience supply disruptions in the near and long term.

 

The data point to some clear challenges. Only 2.5% of the world’s water is fresh, yet the US depends on it for nearly 90% of withdrawals for public and industrial use.

At the same time, groundwater, which is present under the earth’s surface and makes up 30% of all freshwater, is under wide-spread stress, with NASA reporting that a third of major water basins globally are being rapidly depleted by human consumption.

 

The human cost of water scarcity is likely to be high. The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) estimates that about 1.5 billion people today live in areas seriously affected by shortages, predicting that it will rise to 4 billion by 2050, accompanied by a 50% increase in the demand on water resources.

 

While individuals, governments and other consumer and policy organisations are all instrumental to preserving this precious commodity, the energy industry in particular can have a positive impact on alleviating water shortages. Oil and gas companies, as well as power and water utilities, are ideally placed not only to be more efficient users of water but also to be pioneers in finding alternative water sources and introducing innovative technologies to counter wastage.

 

We believe this report makes a valuable contribution to the debate on the future of water My Thanks To Jes Staley, Chief Executive Officer of Barclays

For The Full Brilliant Report by Jes Staley please click the link https://www.investmentbank.barclays.com/content/dam/barclaysmicrosites/ibpublic/documents/our-insights/water-report/ImpactSeries_WaterReport_Final.pdf

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