How 'water for all' is good for business, not just a moral imperative

The document highlights the critical link between climate change and water security, noting that over two billion people lack safely managed drinking water. It argues that water security is a primary barrier to economic development and calls for businesses to move beyond individual initiatives toward systemic action. The authors propose five key business actions: managing water footprints, scaling climate financing for vulnerable countries, partnering for technological innovation, building organizational and community capacity, and championing good governance. The text emphasizes that investing in resilient infrastructure in low- and middle-income countries can yield significant economic dividends, citing World Bank data on potential savings.

• Water security is a critical global barrier to sustainable development, affecting the provision of health services, energy, and food. The document notes that over 90% of natural disasters are water-related, including tropical storms, flooding, and drought, which significantly impact economies and societies.
• Investment in resilient water infrastructure in low- and middle-income countries offers high economic returns. According to World Bank calculations, such investments could save $4.2 trillion over the infrastructure's lifetime, providing a $4 benefit for every $1 invested.
• The authors outline five specific actions for businesses to accelerate water security: managing their own water footprints and stewardship, scaling up climate financing for vulnerable countries, partnering to deploy emerging technologies, building capacity and expertise, and advocating for policies and governance that protect water, sanitation, and hygiene services.
• There is an urgent need to treat water as both a common and economic good that is finite. The goal is to ensure all children and communities have access to sustainable, affordable, and safe water, sanitation, and hygiene services by 2030, while ensuring these systems contribute to greenhouse gas reduction.

APA

Jensen, P. D., Seto, K., Marmot, R., Neo, G. H., Decker, P., & Bin Sulayem, S. A. (2023). How 'water for all' is good for business, not just a moral imperative. World Economic Forum. https://www.weforum.org/stories/nature-and-biodiversity/how-water-for-all-is-good-for-business-not-just-a-moral-imperative/

Chicago

Jensen, Poul Due, Kinya Seto, Rebecca Marmot, Gim Huay Neo, Patrick Decker, and Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem. How 'water for all' is good for business, not just a moral imperative. World Economic Forum, 2023. https://www.weforum.org/stories/nature-and-biodiversity/how-water-for-all-is-good-for-business-not-just-a-moral-imperative/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Jensen |first1=Poul Due |last2=Seto |first2=Kinya |last3=Marmot |first3=Rebecca |last4=Neo |first4=Gim Huay |last5=Decker |first5=Patrick |last6=Bin Sulayem |first6=Sultan Ahmed |title=How 'water for all' is good for business, not just a moral imperative |publisher=World Economic Forum |date=24 March 2023 |url=https://www.weforum.org/stories/nature-and-biodiversity/how-water-for-all-is-good-for-business-not-just-a-moral-imperative/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{jensen2023how, author = {Jensen, Poul Due and Seto, Kinya and Marmot, Rebecca and Neo, Gim Huay and Decker, Patrick and Bin Sulayem, Sultan Ahmed}, title = {{How 'water for all' is good for business, not just a moral imperative}}, publisher = {World Economic Forum}, year = {2023}, month = mar, url = {https://www.weforum.org/stories/nature-and-biodiversity/how-water-for-all-is-good-for-business-not-just-a-moral-imperative/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }