Why water shortages make water next for industry reporting

The document asserts that freshwater availability is changing dramatically worldwide, with continents (excluding Greenland and Antarctica) drying and rainfall becoming more variable. It highlights that over half of the world's major aquifers are being rapidly drained because withdrawals exceed replenishment rates. Because industry and its supply chains, particularly the food industry, account for 80% of global water withdrawals, the author calls for the private sector to adopt water stewardship, restore ecosystems, and integrate water-related risks into corporate governance and reporting, similar to carbon accounting.

• Global freshwater availability is shifting, with tropical regions becoming wetter and mid-latitude regions becoming drier. In northern high latitudes, such as parts of Canada and Russia, warming is occurring at up to four times the global average rate, leading to the melting of snowpack, permafrost, and glaciers.
• More than 50% of the world's major aquifers are experiencing rapid drainage because the rate of groundwater withdrawal is higher than the rate of replenishment.
• Industry and its supply chains, with the food industry specifically noted, are responsible for 80% of water withdrawals on a global scale.
• The Global Institute for Water Security (GIWS) and Ceres recommend that companies return the same volume of water to the environment as they withdraw, at equal or better quality, and integrate water-related risks into corporate governance and transparent reporting.

APA

Famiglietti, J. (2022). Why water shortages make water next for industry reporting. World Economic Forum. https://www.weforum.org/stories/nature-and-biodiversity/why-water-shortages-make-water-next-for-industry-reporting/

Chicago

Famiglietti, Jay. Why water shortages make water next for industry reporting. World Economic Forum, 2022. https://www.weforum.org/stories/nature-and-biodiversity/why-water-shortages-make-water-next-for-industry-reporting/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Famiglietti |first1=Jay |title=Why water shortages make water next for industry reporting |publisher=World Economic Forum |date=24 August 2022 |url=https://www.weforum.org/stories/nature-and-biodiversity/why-water-shortages-make-water-next-for-industry-reporting/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{famiglietti2022why, author = {Famiglietti, Jay}, title = {{Why water shortages make water next for industry reporting}}, publisher = {World Economic Forum}, year = {2022}, month = aug, url = {https://www.weforum.org/stories/nature-and-biodiversity/why-water-shortages-make-water-next-for-industry-reporting/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }