Water Scarcity and Risk: Notes from the 2008 Ceres Conference
Last week’s Ceres conference included a panel on water scarcity and risk. The term “peak water” was mentioned, framing water as a commodity facing a peak in availability (like oil) and a potentially tradable value, similar to carbon.
Panelists identified water scarcity as a human rights and community issue as much as an environmental issue. Chris Williams of the World Wildlife Fund reported that over 1 billion people globally have no access to safe drinking water.
Meanwhile, water demand and consumption has increased in the private sector for manufacturing, energy production, and agriculture. A significant amount of the water consumed is wasted through agricultural runoff, leaks, and weak or nonexistent conservation and efficiency programs.
