Peter Brabeck-Letmathe and Asit K. Biswas | Business Economics, 2015
Over the past two decades, climate change has steadily climbed up the international political agenda. Promoted by Nobel Prize winners, environmental and climate scientists. non-govemment organizations, Hollywood stars and filmmakers, it has become a major global issue. Water issues, sadly, have not drawn such support.
In some regions, climate change may add to water stress, but the main concern is to increase global water shortage from overdraft. There is no question that climate change is important. However, it should be very clear that solving the issue of climate change will not solve the problem of rapidly-increasing water scarcity. In our view, over the near to medium-term efforts to ensure the availability of adequate quantity of good-quality water for all human uses have to be given greater impetus. Furthermore, in contrast to climate change with numerous uncertainties, we have the know-how to solve water problems, including the knowledge, technology and investment funds that are necessary. Yet, poor water management continues all over the world and there are no signs that this situation is likely to improve significant ly soon.