A Freshwater Future: Without Blue, There Is No Green Economy

The document highlights the critical but often overlooked link between water management and carbon emissions, noting that water utilities account for approximately 2% of global greenhouse gas emissions. It argues that water insecurity poses a significant risk to green technologies, particularly the supply chain for electric vehicle batteries due to the water-intensive nature of lithium mining. The paper provides examples of successful water-energy decoupling and circular economy collaborations, while calling for a paradigm shift in corporate culture and the adoption of global collaborative platforms to scale innovation.

• Water is frequently omitted from decarbonization strategies, which may jeopardize net-zero goals. Water utilities globally are estimated to contribute approximately 2% of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, a figure comparable to the global shipping industry. Furthermore, existing technologies could abate 50% of electricity-related emissions from the wastewater sector, with about 95% of that impact achievable at zero or negative cost.
• Water insecurity creates significant vulnerabilities in global supply chains, particularly for the electric vehicle (EV) sector. The production of batteries depends on metals like lithium, cobalt, and nickel; lithium extraction is highly water-intensive and can disrupt local water security and agriculture. Because 80-90% of new global operations are located in water-scarce areas, these risks can derail the transition to EVs.
• The financial risk of ignoring water security outweighs the cost of addressing it for most business sectors. According to CDP, the potential monetary impact of water risks is over five times higher than the cost of response across most industries, including retail, transportation, and hospitality. In Europe, between €30.64 billion and €34.47 billion of new industrial and commercial real estate investment from 2021 is at risk of becoming stranded assets due to water scarcity.
• Decoupling water use from carbon emissions can be achieved through localized, energy-positive, or circular systems. Examples include a solar-powered water kiosk in Rwanda that saves approximately 3.03 kg CO2-e per litre of water provided, and a Carlsberg brewery in Denmark that recycles 90% of process water, projecting annual savings of over 500 million litres and averting 210,000 tonnes of CO2-e emissions.
• Industrial collaboration and the circular economy can significantly reduce freshwater withdrawals. The E4Water project in Belgium allows Solvay to recycle effluent from neighbouring industry partners, saving 500,000m³ of drinking water annually. Similarly, Shell's Groundbirch facility in Canada uses reclaimed municipal wastewater from the City of Dawson Creek, avoiding over 3 million kilometres of water hauling truck travel and averting 3,154 t CO2-e per year.
• Scaling water innovation requires overcoming cultural barriers and utilizing collaborative funding and implementation models. The Trial Reservoir provides loans for climate-mitigating water technologies only if the trial is designed for immediate full-scale commercial implementation upon success. Additionally, the 2030 Water Resources Group in Uttar Pradesh, India, aims to mobilize $100 million in private investment by 2025 to reduce carbon footprints and increase yields for 1 million farmers.

APA

World Economic Forum (2022). A Freshwater Future: Without Blue, There Is No Green Economy. https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_A_Freshwater_Future_2022.pdf

Chicago

World Economic Forum. A Freshwater Future: Without Blue, There Is No Green Economy. 2022. https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_A_Freshwater_Future_2022.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Economic Forum |title=A Freshwater Future: Without Blue, There Is No Green Economy |date=May 2022 |url=https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_A_Freshwater_Future_2022.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldeconomicforum2022freshwater, author = {{World Economic Forum}}, title = {{A Freshwater Future: Without Blue, There Is No Green Economy}}, institution = {World Economic Forum}, year = {2022}, month = may, url = {https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_A_Freshwater_Future_2022.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }