Is Water the New Oil?

Is water the new oil?  Maybe... a strong maybe.  There is a growing belief by many that water is fast becoming the kind of precious commodity that oil became in the 20th century.  Consider these statistics:

• People can live as much as 30 days without food but only seven without water
• A billion people lack access to clean water
• 2.5 billion people are without water for sanitation
• 80% of all disease is borne by dirty water

Ironically, when seen from space, earth appears literally as a blue planet, covered by water.  However, the vast majority of that blue is salty or dirty.  Humans need fresh and clean water.

So, is clean water decreasing?  The answer according to environmentalists, is YES.  The cause, not surprisingly, is the intersection of a growing human population and a warming world.

According to Jonathan Greenblatt, a professor at UCLA who advised the Obama administration: "As climate change accelerates and we see a changing hydrological cycle, diminishing access to resources, there are direct human impacts that are water-related."

There is a real danger that if sea levels rise dramatically due to global warming as scientists predict, coastal regions may see increased salination of aquifers -- natural underground reservoirs -- which will further affect access to fresh water.  In addition, in some areas such as central China, global warming is causing rapid desertification directly outside Beijing, with desert-like conditions coming to areas that were once fertile.  The result is further stress on fresh, clean and available water.

And, what of the economic relationship between an investment in clear water projects and its return to government and business?  Consider:

• The World Health Organization reports that:
• every $1 spent on water and sanitation can bring economic benefits ranging from $7 - $12
• healthcare agencies could save $7 billion a year
• employers could gain 320 million productive days a year for workers in the 15-to-59 age range
• there could be an extra 272 million school attendance days annually
• an added 1.5 billion healthy days for children under the age of five 
• The Natural Resources Defense Council says that an investment of $11.3 billion a year could yield a payback of $83 billion a year in increased productivity and health

So, is water the new oil?  Perhaps the answer lies in considering these two questions: How long can a person live without oil?  How long can a person live without water?

 * Source: 2009 World Water Forum in Turkey