Water

Nothing but water is essential to all life on earth and there is an urgent need to manage this finite resource more sustainably. Demand for fresh water grows each year as global population increases, and the wealthier we all become the more water we each use. The United Nations estimate that by 2025, if current trends continue, we will require 50% more water than is currently available.

Problems of water scarcity are further exacerbated by the pollution of the precious supplies we have, and the effects of climate change. We are also fast destroying essential elements of the water cycle (that recycles water from ocean to land) such as forest cover and wetlands, without which supplies simply dry up.

Land-use is key to sustainable water management because two thirds of the water we use is for agriculture.