Water
is the one permanent asset in the world.
As long as there is life on this planet it
will be needed.
Global freshwater demand will outstrip supply by 40% by 2030
Water crisis threatens $58 trillion in economic value, food security and sustainability
The energy transition can't happen without water security
According to WoodMcKenzie, global GDP is projected to reach $170 trillion by 2050. A World Bank report on Climate Change and Water suggests that investing in global water security mitigates the potential loss of up to 6% or $10.2 trillion of global GDP per year. There are two key aspects around financing water security for the future. By far the largest amount is what must be financed by governments and municipalities to support freshwater extraction, delivery and sanitation. The OECD estimates investment needed until 2030 to achieve SDG 6 is approximately $1.7 trillion, 3 times the current spend. Moreover, this represents only a fraction of the water investment agenda: projections of global financing needs for water infrastructure range from $6.7 trillion by 2030 to $22.6 trillion by 2050 and these figures do not cover the development of freshwater resources for irrigation or energy (they are wrapped into the clean energy investment estimates.) Further delayed action will lead to catastrophic human, environmental and economic losses on a scale the world has not seen before.
“The world’s first trillionaire will be a greentech entrepreneur.” Kara Swisher, New York Times columnist and global technology trendwatcher, made this prediction. Not space. Not e-commerce. Not information technology. Not fintech. Water.