Tag: water

Water crisis threatens $58 trillion in economic value, food security and sustainability

Stuart Mitchell

Water, the world’s most precious yet undervalued resource, lies at the heart of a mounting global crisis that threatens both human and planetary health, warns a new report, published today by WWF. Released on World Food Day, The High Cost of Cheap Water uncovers a stark reality: the annual economic value of water and freshwater ecosystems is estimated to be $58 trillion – equivalent to 60% of global Gross Domestic Product (GDP)*. But the world’s freshwater ecosystems are in a downward spiral, posing an ever growing risk to these values.…

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Climate-induced water insecurity poses one of the biggest threats to humanity and will lead to more hunger, disease and displacement – Oxfam

Stuart Mitchell

Finding safe water supplies for drought-stricken communities is becoming increasingly difficult as a result of climate change, Oxfam warned as it published a report warning of the dire humanitarian cost of increased water scarcity. The report, Water Dilemmas, describes how a water security crisis, in large part driven by global heating from greenhouse gas emissions, will fuel hunger and disease and force more people to leave their homes. Nafkote Dabi, Oxfam Global Climate Justice Lead, said: “Water is the lifeblood of communities across the globe, but climate change means that…

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Ceres launches new investor-led effort to move corporate water users and polluters to value and act on water as a financial risk

Stuart Mitchell

Institutional investors from around the world joined Ceres in launching the Valuing Water Finance Initiative, a new effort to engage 72 corporate water users and polluters to value and act on water as a financial risk and drive the necessary large-scale change to better protect water systems. The initiative is the only global investor-led initiative aimed at moving companies to respond to the global water crisis. The Ceres Valuing Water Finance Initiative offers the most comprehensive and ambitious guidelines available to investors while also considering the full suite of water-related issues,…

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New data highlights the hidden carbon and water cost of food waste, as charity claims the issue has been ‘frozen out’ of COP

Stuart Mitchell

If food waste were a country it would be the third largest emitter of carbon globally, yet the issue has been largely ignored in climate discussions at COP, according to food charity FareShare. “These Carbon Trust figures show, from a carbon and water saving perspective, that the best destination for edible food will always be people’s plates.” James Persad, Head of Marketing and Engagement at FareShare In the UK, food waste accounts for between 6 and 7% of total greenhouse gas emissions, with an estimated 2m tonnes of perfectly edible…

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National Audit Office Report warns Parts of England could run short of water within 20 years

Stuart Mitchell

The government must take more concerted action now to prevent parts of southern England running out of water within 20 years, according to a National Audit Office (NAO) report published. The country’s total water supply is forecast to drop by 7% by 2045 because of climate change and the limits of sustainable abstraction. Almost all of the public water supply is obtained through abstraction from ground and surface water sources, but abstracting too much water can lead to physical changes that reduce biodiversity. Even at current levels of average rainfall,…

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