Aqueduct Global Flood Risk Country Rankings
The Aqueduct Global Flood Risk Country Ranking ranks 163 countries by their current annual average population affected by river floods.
water
New analysis shows that approximately 21 million people worldwide could be affected by river floods on average each year, with that number rising to 54 million in 2030 due to climate change and socio-economic development.
The USDA's new Regional Conservation Partnerships Program aims to improve water quality by reducing agricultural runoff in targeted watersheds. The challenge is, how do we help make sure this new approach is successful?
India is one of the most water-challenged countries in the world, from its deepest aquifers to its largest rivers.
The India Water Tool 2.0 is the most comprehensive, publicly available online tool evaluating India’s water risks.
India Water Tool
This technical note describes the specifics of the indicator data and calculations underpinning the India Water Tool 2.0 (IWT).
The IWT 2.0 allows companies, government agencies, and other users identify their water risks, prioritize their water management actions, plan for sustainable...
A new WRI working paper finds that reducing flooding in rice paddies can dramatically reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and can also help conserve water and boost yields.
Wetting and Drying: Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Saving Water from Rice Production
Creating a Sustainable Food Future, Installment Eight
Installment 8 of Creating a Sustainable Food Future explores the potential to improve water management in rice production in order to reduce agricultural...
In fast-urbanizing China, nearly 90 percent of coastal cities face some degree of water scarcity and roughly 300 million rural residents lack access to clean water.
To quench the country’s chronic thirst, the Chinese government has turned to desalination, aiming to produce as much as 3 million cubic meters of desalinated water daily by 2020, up from today’s 0.77 million cubic meter.
Aqueduct Water Risk Map. Photo by WRI.
Business & Investment Community Analyze Water Risk with WRI’s Aqueduct
Bloomberg incorporated data from WRI's Aqueduct water risk platform into its mapping tool; MSCI began using Aqueduct to measure risks for utilities and oil, gas and chemical companies; and the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board recommended that companies use Aqueduct to measure water stress. IKEA and GDF Suez used Aqueduct information in their in-house risk analyses.
The Challenge
Water risks like stress and variable supply threaten everything from agriculture to industry to energy production. Already, 69 countries and one-quarter of the world’s cropland face high water stress. These challenges will likely become more severe as competition for water increases and climate change shifts precipitation patterns.
The World Economic Forum identified global water crises as one of the top five global risks for businesses. Without tools to evaluate these risks and inform management plans, businesses’ bottom lines will suffer.
WRI’s Role
Aqueduct provides the most up-to-date water risk data and analysis for countries and water basins around the world. This year, private sector investment analysis tools began incorporating Aqueduct data, while leading businesses and banks used the tool to identify risks and set efficiency targets.
WRI worked with Bloomberg to incorporate Aqueduct information into its mapping tool, while MSCI, a leading provider of investment decision support tools, began using Aqueduct data to measure risks across hundreds of utilities and oil, gas and chemical companies. The Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB), a non-profit organization that helps corporations disclose information to investors, recommended that public companies use Aqueduct to measure water stress. And major corporations like IKEA, the world’s largest furniture retailer, and GDF Suez, a multinational electric utility company, have used Aqueduct information in their in-house risk analyses.
The Impact
With private sector investment analysis tools now incorporating Aqueduct data, WRI is helping to make water risk analyses more mainstream. Bloomberg has more than 320,000 users around the world, MSCI has more than 6,000 clients, and SASB works with hundreds of businesses every year.
These businesses, banks and investors now have the analysis they need to help mitigate water risks and improve their own water management — which will benefit the planet and their own bottom lines. IKEA is now targeting its water-efficiency projects in its stores and distribution centers in highly water-stressed areas.
O Brasil possui maior quantidade de água doce do que qualquer outro país no mundo—12% do volume total de todo planeta. Então, como São Paulo—a maior e mais rica cidade da América do Sul—está ficando sem água? Três mapas ajudam a contar essa complexa história.