Unsustainable apathy

Finally, it seems those who wield the power in the world are waking up to the fact that water scarcity is a growing problem, and a problem that could derail economies in some corners of the earth.

Most delegates agreed that the need to address the ever decreasing availability of freshwater was just as urgent as tackling climate change. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon declared: “The challenge of securing safe and plentiful water for all is one of the most daunting challenges faced by the world today.”

Participants concluded that a combination of political will, market mechanisms and innovative technology would go some way to solving the problem. But no concrete steps to deal with the issue were put in motion.

‘Revealing’ figures on water consumption were trotted out – such as ten times more water is needed to grow meat than vegetables and so many litres are needed to produce an irrigated cotton shirt.

Yet such statistics and the comment from one delegate that “We need an Al Gore for water”, alongside references to “water footprints”, only illustrated that there is still a long way to go before the subject gets the serious attention it deserves.

Inevitably, given that this was an economic forum, there was also discussion over how companies could profit from the situation and a cap-and-trade approach similar to that applied to carbon dioxide was proposed.

But the result of all this was to overcomplicate the issue. The forum missed the obvious solution that cutting water consumption is the easiest way to prevent the problem from escalating.

Changing consumption patterns does not mean no longer wearing cotton clothing and eating less meat, but rather considering whether we all need a swimming pool, a green lawn and luscious flower beds.

It means making simple technical changes such as reducing the flush on toilets and changing faucets and showerheads; changes that can significantly reduce usage.

Public awareness campaigns and improving water management will do much more to ensure future water availability than devising complicated trading mechanisms. It is as simple as turning off a light – cutting energy use cuts emissions. Turning off a tap saves water.

For the economists sat in Davos, of course, there is no money to be made through us using less water. However, initiatives to cut water and energy consumption should not be driven by a desire for greater profits, but rather by a sincere will to secure the future of our planet.