Designing Innovative Corporate Water Risk Management Strategies from an Ecosystem Services Perspective

Access to water is essential for almost all aspects of the economy and quality of life; in particular, for health, food production and security, domestic water supply and sanitation, energy, industry, and ecosystem health. Yet, water scarcity already affects more than 40 percent of the global population, and by 2025, it is estimated that and two-thirds of the world’s population will be living in regions where water supplies are stressed and 1.8 billion people will be living in countries or regions with absolute water scarcity. By 2030, it is estimated that 47 percent of the global population will be living in high water stress areas. The authors of this book survey common organizational (both public and private) responses to water scarcity across three categories--technology-based, policy-based, and management-based--and then focus on the latter as holding the most promise for creating a robust, organization-wide solution for potential freshwater scarcity. Management-based responses are those developed within the organization to internalize water-related externalities.