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What will it take for the world to get serious about water?
What will it take for the world to get serious about water? | Sustainability | GZERO Live

What will it take for the world to get serious about water?

Why did it take over twenty years for the UN's marquee climate conference to start talking about water? "It's undervalued and therefore, it's not getting the attention it deserves because people don't see the actual value addition of engaging with it," says James Dalton of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature.

"Roundabout 90% of global water policy is out of date," says James Dalton of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. "We're effectively 40 years behind where we need to be on the policy calendar when it comes to being able to better manage our water resources."

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The world is way behind on water policy | James Dalton
The world is way behind on water policy | James Dalton | Sustainability | GZERO Live

The world is way behind on water policy | James Dalton

When's the last time you remember a politician bringing up water policy on the campaign trail? It's far from the sexiest subject, but it absolutely merits discussion as climate change and overuse of water resources pose serious threats to the world's water systems.

"Roundabout 90% of global water policy is out of date," says James Dalton of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. "We're effectively 40 years behind where we need to be on the policy calendar when it comes to being able to better manage our water resources."

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Why businesses are leapfrogging governments on water issues
Why businesses are leapfrogging governments on water issues | Sustainability | GZERO Live

Why businesses are leapfrogging governments on water issues

Water is an incredibly personal topic, integral to the lives and traditions of communities everywhere. That means companies must be very careful about how they use water resources, even those to which they are legally entitled, says Shari Friedman, Eurasia Group's Managing Director for Climate and Sustainability.

"If they're taking it away or they're polluting a source, it's something that's incredibly visible, as people use it," she said. "And it's something the press can pick up on pretty quickly, and it affects a company's license to operate."

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Water scarcity can sink a city, says expert Tanvi Nagpal
Water scarcity can sink a city, says expert Tanvi Nagpal | Sustainability Leaders Council

Water scarcity can sink a city, says expert Tanvi Nagpal

Who ends up paying for all the waste and losses from old, leaky water systems? Ordinary families. For the most part, they have no choice but to foot higher and higher bills just to keep access to the water they need to live.

However, failure to invest in water systems and keep costs low for consumers can lead to huge consequences, according to Tanvi Nagpal, water policy expert and consultant for Tetra Tech. For example, Jakarta's failure to keep its water system up with its population growth led people to dig wells to provide themselves with the needed water. The result? One of the largest cities in the world and an economic engine of southeast Asia is physically sinking into the ground.

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The Graphic Truth: Has clean water access improved?

In many low- and middle-income countries, availability of safe, drinkable water remains scarce. Though access has improved significantly in many places over the past two decades – by 152% in Afghanistan, for instance – the very low baseline means that still only 28% of that population has access to high quality drinking water. Meanwhile, countries like the Central African Republic, Zambia, Nepal, and Pakistan saw their access reduced over the past two decades. Here’s a snapshot of the relative change in access to safe drinking water around the world from 2000-2020.

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