Carbon Disclosure Project Water Disclosure Global Report 2011

Published in late 2011, the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) Water Disclosure Global Report looks at corporate awareness of global water issues. A total of 238 companies responded to the information request that was the basis of the report, out of a total of 425 companies solicited for a response rate of 56%. That’s an enviable response rate for any such endeavor. Companies were chosen from the FTSE Global Equity Index Series, The Australian Securities Exchange, and The Johannesburg Stock Exchange. Key highlights from the report include:

• 59% of respondents report exposure to water related risk that has the potential to cause significant impact;
• 63% have identified water related opportunities to generate substantial change in revenues;
• Increasing numbers of companies are tracking water withdrawls and recycling/reuse data;
• Energy companies report a very high level of water related risk but a low level of board oversight of water issues.
In all, global companies are realizing the significance of water to their overall operations. As part of the information collection response, IBM replied, “Water …is fast becoming one of the planet’s most stressed resources. Access to clean water has emerged as a critical issue affecting economic activity, development, and business around the world.” Not to mention the importance to sustaining life itself for all the planets many and varied inhabitants. Read the full report here - https://www.cdproject.net/water .

Is So Cal Finally Getting Serious About Its Water Crisis?

This article from Time (http://ti.me/whFGlX ) does a good job giving an overview of Southern California’s start/stop/start again process for dealing with water self sufficiency. Every time there’s a drought, people run around screaming and yelling about reducing dependence on imported water and developing reliable local sources. The discussion includes conservation, recycling, stormwater capture, rainwater harvesting, increased groundwater use, and desalination. Plans are made, funding sources explored, consultants (lots of consultants) are contracted with to explore every aspect of each and every proposal. Then, of course, it rains, and everything comes to a screeching halt; who needs all of those expensive alternative water supply projects when the stuff is falling from the sky? It’s a problem that isn’t limited to the California southland; Australia, during a long and serious drought, was able to get several desalination plants built to try and drought-proof their water supply. Now that the drought there has eased a bit, many are questioning whether those plants are necessary or should have ever been built.


The people of Southern California will have to experience a great deal more pain from increased water costs and decreased availability before they will demand from their political institutions a determined, significant effort to reduce the dependence on imported water. The Time article indicates that the Los Angeles area has reuced it’s dependence on imported water by 25% in the past 20 years. At that rate, it will take at least another 60 years to reach water independence, which is way too long.