What’s really behind our global water crisis? Who stands to gain from the continued threat to global water resources? And how can we, as water efficiency professionals, make a difference?
Last week, Blog Action Day rounded up thousands of posts from all across the world focusing on one topic: water. During the first two weeks of October, over 1,600 bloggers from 100 countries registered to participate in Blog Action Day by posting content focusing on the varied aspects of our world water crisis. With so many perspectives and insights—from “man on the street” testimonials to in depth reports from experts in the field to brief, but compelling, insights into what water resource management looks like on the international stage—I encourage you check out the Blog Action Day Web site and see what your peers, and the global community, is saying about water.
In the meantime—and in stark contrast to the “we’re all in this together” vibe of the Blog Action Day effort—over at techcrunch.com, you can find a list of the 10 “opportunities” available as a result of increased pollution and threatened water resources. In an entry entitled “Ten Culprits of the Global Water Crisis (And the Startups Trying to Solve It)”, writer Lora Kolodny posits that, when it comes to the global water shortages, the news is “not all grim. There are new opportunities for tech startups, engineers, investors, and creative people to solve problems around the water crisis. Water and wastewater technology is a hot market that could get hotter.”
Who are the big winners when it comes to this crisis? Cleantech startups are in a great position to capitalize on water resource management, while water treatment and filtration companies are poised to win big as water pollution and water-quality concerns begin to overshadow other infrastructure issues. And because of the scarcity of potable water, any and all entities involved in the leak control and conveyance rehabilitation and repair will also benefit.
So what do you think? Is increasing public awareness enough? Can educating the masses affect change? Or will startups and profit motive save the day?