by the Ministry of Energy and Mines (Laos), TheunHinboun Power Company, Statkraft Oslo, Electrcité du Laos, and GMS Lao Company Ltd.

Strategic Basin Planning and Water Allocation in the 21st Century - a presentation by Dave Tickner, WWF.

Water-related risks continue to place stress on economies and communities at both local and global scales. The financial impacts of floods, droughts, and overall water quantity and quality are rippling across the world as industries cope with the impacts of the massive floods in Thailand, the most severe US drought in 50 years, and the rising demand for water in developing economies. Swiss Re estimates that flooding impacts 500 million people every year and now rivals earthquake losses at $15B annually. High impact events like these and smaller, more acute local impacts contribute to the increase in reported water-related risk exposure from Global 500 respondents. In 2012, water-related impacts are being felt more broadly and more businesses have recognized these growing waterrelated risks than before. Across the board, respondents report more water-related risks and opportunities. More respondents are assessing water-related risks in their direct operations and supply chains and are also evaluating water-related opportunities. In addition, respondents report taking more tangible action to manage these issues and seize opportunities. However, despite increased awareness and activity among some respondents, the Global 500 response rate is static at 60% (191 companies); disappointing given the weight of investor interest in this issue and the increasing proportion of companies reporting water-related impacts, risks and opportunities. The Health Care sector has the highest response rate (77%) while Energy lags for the 2nd year running at just 44%; surprising considering this sector reports the highest exposure to risk. This report is based on analysis of 185 responses received by August 6, 2012 and investigates how companies are using collaborative approaches to solving some of the most complex water-related problems.

Climate change is exerting an increasing influence on the general conditions faced by market economies. This poses a challenge that is complex, sometimes contradictory, and yet highly promising: the role of the private sector in adaptation to a changing climate. Climate change is certainly not exclusively – probably not evenpredominantly – a public responsibility. It is obvious that climate change affects enterprises in terms of risks as well as opportunities. In this context, there are five messages to the private sector which are important for further dialogue on this topic - by Friedrich K. Kitschelt, Director, Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) for Africa, Latin America; Global and Sectoral Affairs

The corporate world is waking to the realisation that improved water management is fundamental for future prosperity and human well-being. This special issue explores aspects of its response: from the application of an array of analytical tools such as water footprint accounting, risk filters and standards; water use efficiencies; derivatives and insurance mechanisms; to collaborative infrastructure and watershed projects; stakeholder engagement and attempts to influence water governance at all scales. Drawing on the papers in this issue the motivations for this new agenda are traced and its potential in helping to unlock some of our most intractable water challenges, or to open a Pandora’s box of controversies are considered. Key concerns include the potential for diverging corporate and public interests; policy and regulatory capture; privileging of economic over social perspectives; process inequities; displacement of existing water management priorities, and the risks of misguided interventions which undermine institutional and hydrological sustainability - with the financial support of Water Witness International, WWF, The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and German Technical Cooperation (GIZ)

Constructing a multi-level governance framework for the Water-Energy-Food Security Nexus in the SADC region - by Inga Jacobs, Water Research Commission (WRC), and Manisha Gulati, WWF South Africa

Global food losses and waste add up to more than a quarter of our water use for irrigation. Equivalent to the water withdrawn for the industrial sector worldwide. McKinsey calculates the value of annual global food waste at US$ 252 billion. The value of wasted food is almost double the sum spent on official aid for development.

by Stuart Orr, WWF International

Since 2009, the Water Futures Partnership – composed of SABMiller, WWF, the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GIZ (working on behalf of the German Ministry for Development Cooperation BMZ), and our local partners – has been building the business case and creating mechanisms for companies to engage in local collective action to help address shared water risks facing businesses, communities and ecosystems. Now they are taking a fresh look at the Nexus: Water, Food and Energy are interconnected: agriculture accounts for about 70% of global freshwater use and can pollute freshwater supplies if mismanaged. Water is also used to generate electricity: in the USA, power generation accounts for about 50% of all freshwater withdrawals and drought in countries that use hydropower - Ethiopia and Ghana, for example - can lead to black-outs. Energy, in turn, is needed to fertilise and transport crops, which can themselves be used as biofuel to create energy. Large amounts of energy are also required to pump water to drier regions and, as water scarcity increases, so will the energy needed for technologies such as desalination. Given these trade-offs and interactions, successfully addressing the triple challenge of water stress, food security and energy supplies means taking a holistic view and balancing the many competing demands. This animation takes a fresh look at the Water-Food-Energy Nexus.

The 2012 edition of the LPR highlights the tremendous pressure that humanity is putting on our planet. We are using 50 per cent more resources than the Earth can provide. By 2030, even two planets will not be enough. Our natural capital is declining and our Ecological Footprint is increasing. Urgent action is needed to ensure that we can live in harmony with nature. We can create more just and equitable societies - providing food, water and energy for all - through the sustainable management of the Earth’s natural capital.

We all need food, water and energy. These come from nature. We need nature. World leaders need to react to the natural crisis we are facing, rethink how we use and manage the earth’s resources, and redesign a sustainable future. Rio+20 is an opportunity for governments to get serious by building on the success of the first Earth Summit in 1992, and the sustainable development successes since then. A video message by Jim P. Leape of WWF.

by Andrew Etzinger, ESKOM, held on the SAWEF Conference in South Africa

The Living Planet Report is the world’s leading science-based analysis on the health of our only planet and the impact of human activity. Its key finding? Humanity’s demands exceed our planet’s capacity to sustain us. That is, we ask for more than what we have. A new edition of the report was released on 15 May 2012.

Message from the International Conference on Transboundary River Basin Management, Phuket, 1-3 May 2012

Andy Wales, Global Head of Sustainable Development at SABMiller, speaks about the Water-Energy-Food Security Nexus: “We need new campaigns, new corporate strategies and new policies which consider these connections and drive dramatic efficiency and productivity improvements, the right land use choices and product innovation. And all this whilst meeting the legitimate needs and desires of those 3 billion new middle class consumers.”

Freshwater withdrawals have doubled every 30 years in last 100 years, about 4000 km² per year at present. In India 80% of the surface water is utilized for agriculture. The WWF India`s “thirsty crop” project aims to reduce the impact of water intensive and polluting crops thereby maintaining sustainable fresh water habitats to support both biodiversity and livelihood.

Understanding FAO World Food Projections and their Implications

100% renewable energy by 2050 – WWF shows that such a transition is not only possible but also cost-effective, providing energy that is affordable for all and producing it in ways that can be sustained by the global economy and the planet.

It is understood that water is essential to life on Earth. It is also an essential ingredient in any production process, be it agricultural or industrial. Today, there is an increased awareness of the diverse ways in which water use can pose substantial threats to businesses in certain regions and sectors.

The growth of the earth’s urban population and areas continues as a major demographic trend; it is projected that 70 % of the world’s population will live in urban areas by 2050. Urban growth today is most rapid in developing countries, where cities gain an average of 5 million residents each month.

World’s top 10 rivers at risk – by

Dams – Blessing or curse? Over 48,000 large dams are in operation worldwide.

WWF’s mission is to stop the degradation of our planet’s natural environment, and build a future in which humans live in harmony with nature.

This paper is the scientific background paper of the Bonn2011 Nexus Conference. It explains the Nexus and presents initial evidence for how a nexus approach can enhance water, energy and food security in a green economy by increasing efficiency, reducing trade-offs, and building synergies across sectors.

A voice from the ground, Edward Byers, PhD student from Newcastle/UK, gives his view of the NEXUS event at the German Pavilion in Rio.

Voices & Conclusions from the Bonn2011 Nexus Conference

The flow of water through rivers, lakes and aquifers remains central to the Nexus

Background paper for the Bonn2011 Nexus Conference is now available

How Water Makes Green Economies a Moving Target

Interview with Jim Leape, Director General of WWF International

International experts comment on the main topics of the Bonn2011 Nexus Conference

Brief profiles of its members

Brief profiles of its members

by The Guardian and SABMiller

Bringing policy-makers together with agribusiness, donors, farmer organisations and civil society we will discuss what Africa needs in order to reproduce the Brazilian miracle.

What are the next steps in addressing the world’s water, energy and food challenges and how can nexus-thinking help? The Guardian stages a live discussion reflecting on conversations at World Water Week, Thursday 6 September, 2-4pm (BST)

This seminar presents policies, enabling conditions, innovations and solutions, for putting the quickly growing knowledge around the water-(land-)energy-food security nexus into practice.

A central aspect of the Green Economy is water, energy and food security in particular for the bottom billion. In order to achieve this, it is of vital importance to consider the interlinkages and the interactions between the sectors. Incoherent approaches and “silo-thinking” will most likely worsen the situation further.

The Side-Event aims at identifying trade-offs between the sectoral objectives and discussing how a better consideration of the interlinkages between energy, water and food security can contribute to the achievement of the energy objectives.

This event will profile some of the world’s most innovative “natural capital partnerships” implementing integrated approaches toward the transition to green growth and green economies today. It will promote a south-south knowledge exchange and commitments from Mexico, the Coastal Eastern Africa region and Asia’s Greater Mekong Subregion.

Solutions for the Green Economy

Why is it so important to look at sustainability issues related to water, food, and energy together, rather than treating each of them a potential problem on their own? Brewing conglomerate SABMiller (selling brands Grolsch, Peroni, Pilsner Urquell, Miller, among many others) is one of the frontrunners in the business community promoting nexus thinking. As their website states: “Water, food and energy are interconnected. Agriculture accounts for about 70% of global freshwater use and can pollute freshwater supplies if mismanaged. Water is also used to generate electricity: in the USA, power generation accounts for about 50% of all freshwater withdrawals and drought in countries that use hydropower - Ethiopia and Ghana, for example - can lead to black-outs. Energy, in turn, is needed to fertilise and transport crops, which can themselves be used as biofuel to create energy. Large amounts of energy are also required to pump water to drier regions and, as water scarcity increases, so will the energy needed for technologies such as desalination. Given these trade-offs and interactions, successfully addressing the triple challenge of water stress, food security and energy supplies means taking a holistic view and balancing the many competing demands. We call this interconnected issue the water-food-energy nexus.”

For progressive action on mitigating water risks to become the norm, creating a strong foundation of understanding is crucial, says David Grant

By Stuart Orr, Freshwater Manager, WWF International, and David Grant, Senior Manager: Water Risk and Partnerships, SABMiller

“If something isn’t given a value, people tend to waste it. Water is our most useful resource, but those using it often don’t even cover the costs of its infrastructure,” said Nestlé CEO Paul Bulcke, speaking in Stockholm for 2012 World Water Week, which concluded Friday. The key issues this year: water and food security, followed by partnerships, tools and data. The water-food-energy triangle was key at the 2011 Bonn Nexus Conference, but the key the difference this year, according to an essay penned by David Grant, SABMiller’s senior director of water risk and partnerships, for the Guardian, “was the progression of the issue from a broad theoretical concept to actually seeing practical examples of how it is being both experienced and addressed on the ground.”

The global water crisis makes collaboration between business, NGOs and civil society essential for securing a sustainable, long term future for all. In Stockholm, 2,500 delegates have gathered for World Water Week to discuss the global water crisis and its effects on food security. Droughts and floods from America to Australia have devastated farms, frustrated civic leaders and caused food prices to skyrocket at a disturbing rate. Now companies are realising that water stewardship is both a moral imperative and makes smart business sense. With the world confronting a 40% gap between the planet’s supply and demand by 2030, the time to confront water scarcity is now.

A summary of the Stockholm Water Week’s discussions on the NEXUS on 28 August 2012.

Biofuels will be the biggest contributor to the EU’s target of providing 10% of transport fuel from renewable energy by 2020, but consumers at the petrol pump could be forgiven for feeling confused about their environmental benefits. Initially hailed as a solution to soaring roadside carbon dioxide emissions – which rose by 26% between 1990 and 2008 – headlines have recently turned to the damage that feedstock-based fuel crops such as biodiesel might have on the planet’s climate. This is because of indirect land use change (ILUC) that happens when arable land taken to grow fuel crops is then compensated for by clearing forests, wetlands and other natural habitats elsewhere in the world to grow the missing food. Futuristic biofuels made from the residues of agricultural products or algae do not compete with food production and have a “crucial role” to play in mitigating carbon dioxide emissions, a new report says.

Environment secretary says it’s time to shatter the myth that you can’t be green and growing – The clouds may be gathering around the Rio +20 Earth Summit next week with walkouts marring last-minute talks, the negotiating text remaining a mess of brackets and clauses, commentators convinced the summit will end as a damp squib, and the row over David Cameron’s refusal to attend refusing to die down.

Richard Matthews on the Messages of WWF’s Living Planet Report – The WWF’s Living Planet Report (LPR) is the world’s leading science-based analysis on the health of the Earth and the impact of human activity. The ninth biennial publication released in May, reviews the cumulative pressures humans are putting on the planet and the consequent decline in the health of the forests, rivers and oceans. Its key finding is that humanity’s demands are exceeding the planet’s capacity to sustain us.

“Along with thousands of government delegates, activists, academics, business chiefs and other journalists I’m making my way this week to Rio de Janeiro,” says BBC’s correspondent Richard Black.

With population rising, how can a water crisis be averted? After two unusually dry winters - which have left reservoirs, aquifers and rivers below normal levels - seven water companies across southern and eastern England are about to impose water restrictions. But experts say population growth and climate change could spell a much grimmer future.

While Canada is blessed with far greater water abundance than most countries around the world, growing population intensity and industrial activity is creating stress on local resources. Growing demand locally or from international markets affect Canadian waters that are relied upon to help grow and process foods.

“Water quality and availability underpins both food and energy production, leading us to what is fast becoming recognised as the defining challenge of our generation – the water, energy, food nexus.”

The theme of this year’s World Water Day is Water and Food Security, and its aim is to encourage us all to be more aware of the amount of water we “drink” through the food we eat - for example, producing 1 kilogram of beef uses 15,000 liters of water while 1 kilogram of wheat “drinks” 1,500 liters.

Africa’s third longest river, the Niger, is a source of water, food and energy for nine West African countries. But frequent droughts induced by a changing climate, and exacerbated by rapidly growing demand, pose a threat to water availability and livelihoods. However, countries and communities can overcome the problem of how to share water resources if they adopt what scientists call “the nexus approach”, a key agenda item at the week-long Water Forum in Marseilles, France.

Die Ressource Wasser ist knapp. Das ist nicht nur ein Problem der Wüstenzonen. Wasser muss gerechter verteilt werden, denn Industriestaaten verschwenden es schonungslos. Deutschland beteiligt sich an der Weltwasserdiskussion seit dem vergangenen Jahr mit der sogenannten Nexus-Diskussion.

Sieben Milliarden Menschen bevölkern die Erde - und alle wollen essen, trinken, einkaufen, in Wohlstand leben. Schon jetzt verbrauchen sie mehr, als der Planet langfristig bieten kann. Forscher wollen der verhängnisvollen Entwicklung mit neuen Technologien begegnen. Doch das allein reicht nicht.

One of the world’s key challenges in an increasingly challenging future will be balancing the water, food and energy equation, WWF predicted at the conclusion of this year’s World Water Week.