(LF.6) Clean Water and Sanitation

In September 2015, 193 world leaders agreed to 17 Global Goals for Sustainable Development. If these Goals are completed, it would mean an end to extreme poverty, inequality and climate change by 2030.
Goal 6. Ensure availability of water and sanitation for all.

• [New] Projections highlight a 40 percent mismatch between supply of and demand for fresh water by 2030, with one in nine people around the world already does not have reliable access to water.
• [New] Water treatment could emerge as a major segment for the Soda Ash Market in the coming years due to the growing demand in urban centers.
• [New] Global demand for water meters, water quality sensors and water leak detection systems will increase at a compounded average growth rate over the next five years (2019-2024).
• Chile's copper commission, Cochilco, forecasts that ocean water consumption will represent around 43% of the total used by the local mining industry in the next 10 years.
• The projected 10 year infrastructure gap in London for sanitary system is $36.28 million and $3.75 million for the stormwater system: it is projected that there will not be an infrastructure gap for water infrastructure in 10 years.
• UNESCO predicts that 1.8 billion people will be experiencing water scarcity and half of the world will be living in water stressed conditions by 2025.
• As long as carbon emissions and greenhouse gases continue to be emitted and atmospheric concentrations continue to increase, snow will melt earlier and earlier in the year, and that trajectory has troubling consequences for water resources.
• Investing $1.8 trillion globally from 2020 to 2030 in five key areas-early warning systems, climate-resilient infrastructure, improved dryland agriculture, mangrove protection, and more resilient water resources - could yield $7.1 trillion in net benefits.
• Air pollution is already costing the world more than US$ 5 trillion from decreased productivity every year: extreme weather conditions are putting populations around the world at risk of food and water insecurity.
• Ford's global manufacturing water strategy was updated in 2016, setting a new goal of 30% reduction in water use per vehicle from 2015 to 2020, with an aspirational goal of zero potable water use for manufacturing processes, on the way to the ultimate goal of zero water withdrawal for manufacturing.
• Widespread lack of access to safe urban sanitation is a risk to public health, the environment and the global economy, costing us $ 223 billion annually and growing.
• In addition to extreme weather, warming can increase the risk of mosquito-borne diseases like malaria, rising sea levels and erosion can make coastal areas uninhabitable, and increasing heat can harm agriculture and water supplies communities rely on.
• If all the Paris pledges are met, temperatures still will warm by 3.2 degrees, with potentially devastating impacts on food security, water supplies and public health.
• Using AI applications across four sectors (agriculture, water, energy and transport) could reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 4% in 2030 and contribute up to $5.2 trillion to the global economy.
• In the 2018 Sector Performance Report, the GoU recognises its inability to fulfil the SDG 6 target of bringing clean drinking water to all by 2030, unless significant external funding will be mobilised.
• Access to water will be a key issue for the mining industry in Chile to face over the next couple of decades.
• The US Census Bureau expects U.S. population to increase by 100 million people by the 2060s, creating new demands for development, transportation, energy, and water.
• Washington, Colorado, and Hawaii joined states like Vermont in setting energy and water efficiency standards for a range of appliances that will save residents more than $3 billion on their utility bills over the next 15 years.
• A lack of awareness of the financial risks of water scarcity has led to companies shutting their operations and spending millions of dollars relocating.
• Providing clean water and sanitation will be one of the greatest global challenges over the next decade due to population growth and urbanization.
• The Commission's strategic long-term vision for a prosperous, modern, competitive and climate neutral economy confirms Europe's commitment to lead the global climate action and presents a vision that can lead to achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.
• Major cities, such as Shanghai, Bangkok, and Ho Chi Minh City, are likely to find themselves under water by 2050 as sea levels rise more quickly than previously expected.

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Last updated: 17 February 2020