06 Nov 2014
00:00
Summit // "Is there a world water crisis looming?" World Water Summit, London/UK
The world has woken up to the dangerous consequences of the looming water crisis. Demand is rising rapidly thanks to industrialization, population growth, climate change and the planet's growing need for food, yet nature has decreed that supply is fixed. With agriculture, homes, factories and offices consuming water in ever greater quantities, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is warning that by 2030, nearly half the world's population could face a scarcity of water, with demand outstripping supply by 40%. As water plays a crucial role in all segments of nature, society and economy, access to water will become a fundamental issue to individuals, governments, companies and ecosystems.
World Water Summit, will be convened to lead these discussions, bringing three sectors (public/private/NGO) together around a common interest: how to stop talking about the world water crisis and start acting. A high-level audience will study innovative approaches to water policy and management, analyse the tensions around the water/food/energy nexus and identify how countries and companies can make better use of their water resources. Attendees will include the world's leading thinkers on water policy, management, irrigation, technology, economic development, sanitation and hygiene and water-related risks.