Thirst for change

Water is one of Earth’s most fundamental and precious resources and the importance of conserving it is real. Thirst for change, a partnership between BSI and leading water NGO Waterwise, explores the global challenge of water availability and how we can collaborate to respond to this. By exploring different approaches to water management, the findings offer key insights and lessons learned from various sectors as well as concrete steps that can drive progress.

• Collaboration, partnership and a move towards a water saving culture can have a positive impact and enable society to move towards a sustainable water future.
• Water provision and use now contribute around 10% to global carbon emissions.
• Whilst water is abundant on Earth, just 1-3% is freshwater of which only 0.5% is considered accesible.
• Annual water use has risen by around 3,500 billion m3 globally over the last century.
• With the urban population expected to increase to 6.7 billion by 2050, using water wisely is critical to support economic development and social need.
• Using water wisely can bring important benefits, including enabling equitable global access, contributing to a reduction in carbon emissions, protecting precious habitats and making us more resilient to climate change and to drought, which by 2050 could affect more than 75% of the world’s population.