Water’s Vital Role in Infrastructure and Investment
FT. According to a McKinsey report from 2009, the world’s demand for fresh water is expected to be 40% higher than supply. The World Resources Institute, on the other hand, predicts that by 2030, worldwide demand for freshwater will exceed available supply by 56 percent. The tensions have reached a breaking point in France and Spain, causing riots between environmental groups and farmers, who utilize almost sixty percent of the country’s available water. Because of inefficient policies and the climate, the current predicament is only going to get worse over the next few years.
Water for human consumption, domestic use, and agricultural purposes is only part of the problem. The alternative energy technologies that will help Europe wean itself off of fossil fuels are “thirsty”, too. According to the Energy Transitions Commission (ETC), which brings together various industrial enterprises, the amount of water used for the production of electricity, the electrolysis of hydrogen, the cooling of nuclear power plants, and carbon capture could reach 58 billion cubic meters per year by the year 2050. This is roughly equivalent to twice the amount of drinking water that is currently consumed in Europe. This number can rise by another 4.5–5 billion cubic meters a year due to the mining of minerals used in the production of electric vehicles and wind turbines.
Aside from that, there is a growing demand for high-tech semiconductor manufacturing, which necessitates the use of ultra-pure water for chip cleaning, and a network of data centers that need large amounts of water for cooling and humidification systems. In 2022, Google’s data center in Belgium used a total of 270.6 million gallons of water (3.76-4.55 million liters).
The food and textile industries are also at risk since they rely heavily on water to perform essential tasks like disinfection and dye fixation. According to EURATEX’s manual, water purification solutions for reuse are complex and expensive.
The issue extends far beyond the most arid places. Even the wettest regions of Europe, like Poland and Germany, are becoming water stress areas due to heavily intertwined municipal water regulations, leaking pipes, and extreme weather. The most recent WRI report found that because of its high population density and inadequate infrastructure, rainy and gloomy Belgium has the highest levels of water stress in the world.
Now let’s get to the bottom of it
1. “Drought-prone soils do not retain enough rainwater, leading to the depletion of groundwater reserves.” Pay close attention to this detail. Much of the world’s agricultural soil has been destroyed by monocultures of corn, wheat, and soybeans, which have been fostered by government subsidies and lobbied for by a powerful agro-industrial complex. There is a pressing global need for innovative approaches to enhance soil microbiology and resilience. Consequently, it is imperative to divert money towards this endeavor. It is crucial to facilitate the transition to agricultural practices that require less water, cultivate crop varieties that are better suited to their respective environments, and cease making attempts to cultivate crops in regions where they shouldn’t grow.
2. The issue of data processing centers is one of the most significant problems. The growing interest in artificial intelligence makes the situation even worse. Streaming activities are being progressively promoted by vendors, despite the fact that they consume an ever-increasing amount of energy, water, and raw materials, all of which require even more extraction. The data industry needs a revised legal framework that acknowledges the fact that true ESG is not synonymous with “green,” but rather with the purpose for which it should have been designed: to recognize and reward environmental, social, and corporate governance.
3. Technology is often presented as an answer to the problems of global warming and greenhouse gas emissions. Solutions are generated, yet the situation is often made worse. Each “solution” must be closely examined as a link in a supply chain that extends from point A to point Z, and this chain must gradually become increasingly circular in shape. Greenwashing and excessive subsidies have helped spread misinformation about the efficacy of “solutions” like carbon capture and aviation biofuels, as well as genetically modified corn.