The private sector is starting to feel the pain of the global water crisis. Last year, the World Economic Forum ranked water crises as the most damaging short-term risk, and this year, as the top global risk to industry and society over the next decade. In 2015 alone,27%的公司向CDP Water披露报道了与水有关的业务影响,包括损失收入,增加资本支出和减少利润,仅举几例。

在12月的巴黎气候峰会上必威官网是真的吗114家跨国公司共同致力于使用最佳科学作为设定减少温室气体排放目标的基础。科学告知的目标很可能也有效地降低了水的风险。

However, there is no consensus on the best way to set targets for water that help reduce business risk. Three major hurdles stand in the way:

1. Location matters.

就温室气体排放而言,无论其位置如何,对大气的影响都是相同的,因此目标也是如此。使用和排放水对于确定相关的风险和对水利用的威胁至关重要,从而使价值链中特定于特定于位置的目标需要。

2.挑战是多方面的:

与对气候的影响不同,气候主要是由温室必威官网是真的吗气体排放驱动的,水危机源于挑战的交织结构 - 缺水,洪水,洪水,干旱,水质下降,对人权和生态系统损失的影响,这使得对我们的经济,社会和环境的最大威胁之一

3.没有科学呼吁采取行动。

虽然有一个国际行动呼吁将全球变暖限制在2100次到2100摄氏度(3.6度F)时,以避免气候变化的最严重影响,但没有这种跨越世界的视觉。必威官网是真的吗

So far, corporations have set water targets that are the same from one region to the next, driven by industry benchmarking and what can be achieved – not what needs to be achieved – through incremental improvements in efficiency, the deployment of existing technology and对非政府组织合作伙伴关系的投资。尽管这些目标是朝着正确方向迈出的一步,但它们可能会陷入困境,而无需进一步了解每个流域和含水层中实际需要的东西,因此无法降低与长期水相关的业务风险。

但是时代正在发生变化,随着全球对减少排放目标的有意义目标的需求,人们对设定水目标的兴趣增加了,从而帮助解决世界的水挑战并减轻业务风险。例如,世界资源研究所一直与必威官网手机版私有跨国食品生产商火星公司(Mars Inc.)合作,以开发一种概念方法,以设定以科学为导入的水目标,并衡量影响和随着时间的推移跟踪性能。该方法的目的是克服上述障碍,是:

1.特定于位置:

Targets should be set for each location across a value chain, from raw material sourcing to manufacturing and consumer product use, driven by the unique watershed and aquifer conditions and allowing for prioritization based on location-specific impacts and risks.

2.专注于关键挑战:

指标和指标的生态系统可以帮助设定目标并衡量所有影响类别的进度,包括水量,水质,人权和与水相关的生态系统,同时允许公司通过单个企业范围的指标跟踪进度。

3.由最好的科学告知:

The level of ambition for water targets should align with existing water policy targets and goals in each watershed, and be informed by the company’s share of responsibility in reversing water impacts. The latest science can help support that calculation and a growing body of literature is now available to inform the magnitude of change required to collectively ensure long-term water availability in every watershed and aquifer around the globe.

For this approach to succeed, companies will have to engage other water users across sectors, because reducing impacts from only one company within a watershed will do little to lessen water challenges and business risk. Put simply, companies can’t afford to be clean fish in a dirty pond; they need a clean pond to survive. Despite skepticism about这种协作策略,生态系统,政府和社区可能从公司的积极,有意义的行动中获得更多的收益,而不是让它们保持冷漠或更糟糕的是,简单地收拾行李并离开。

At this point, companies have had to rely on limited information and a lack of consensus when setting targets to deal with growing water risks. As corporate aspirations shift from what can be done to what needs to be done, setting water targets informed by science promises a new opportunity to reduce business risks,支持全球发展议程并确保长期供水。