How Organizations Can Take Initiatives on Global Water Usage

Companies that are paying attention to sustainability resource planning have been focusing their efforts on reducing carbon emissions. It is undeniable that there is already very scant attention paid to other issues like global water usage. This can be attributed to the fact that the impacts of water mismanagement is not that tangible as carbon emissions for most.

Carbon emissions reduction needs to be getting the needed attention, in its own right. However, global water usage is also unsustainable and could, in fact, turn out to be an even larger problem than greenhouse gas emissions. Most experts would agree that if water usage continues to be overlooked across the globe, there would be a high possibility that our water sources will run out faster than our non-renewable energy sources.

You can ask any company its cause to pursue sustainability as you would like to find the rationale of such efforts. The chances are that energy efficiency and the huge problem associated with greenhouse gas emissions will dominate the conversation. After all, much publicity has been given to the damage caused by excess energy production and consumption and the need to mitigate carbon emissions.

By current estimates, according to a collaborative watchdog group, the 2030 Water Resources Group, global water requirements will increase by more than 50% by the time that we reach 2030. This will be over 40% of our capability to supply, unless there will be initiatives to be taken regarding this situation.

Global water usage in the industrial and commercial sector will double by 2030 from its current position as 20% of total usage. As agriculture would have the largest share of global water usage, it would need a widespread focus among organizations and the boardrooms should take this issue seriously in the the soonest time. Cut back and contribute in the push for water sustainability.

As an individual corporation, there is of course a limit to what can be done. For example, a company cannot alter the projection that China is likely to account for almost half of the additional industrial global water usage by 2030. However, water resource management also needs to be prioritized, as a conservation initiative for one organization could significantly bring forth benefits to the rest of the world.

The Water Resources Group gives as a stark reminder how inefficient we are, most especially when it comes to our corporate contribution to global water usage. In the 15 years ending in 2004, water usage efficiency increased by a paltry 1%. Little public information is disseminated on these statistics. Just imagine how much outcry there would be if our rate of carbon emission efficiency was so pitiful?

On a larger scale, organizations might have overlooked for a while in recognizing that water security is just as important. For instance, over a half of the global water usage is attributed to energy production in the industrial sector.

As the world's population continues to grow in an unsustainable way, it is likely that there will be increasing demand for agricultural production. This will exponentially boost the amount of global water usage allocated for that sector. This puts even more pressure on the industrial, commercial and domestic sectors to reduce reliance on this scarce commodity as much as possible.