Water

Mapping, measuring, and mitigating global water challenges.

Restoring Rio de Janeiro’s Forests Could Save $79 Million in Water Treatment Costs

For the cash-strapped government of Rio de Janeiro, restoring forests around the city is a smart investment. New research shows that forests can provide Rio with better water quality at lower cost.

The world runs on water. Clean, reliable water supplies are vital for industry, agriculture, and energy production. Every community and ecosystem on Earth depends on water for sanitation, hygiene, and daily survival.

Yet the world’s water systems face formidable threats. More than a billion people currently live in water-scarce regions, and as many as 3.5 billion could experience water scarcity by 2025. Increasing pollution degrades freshwater and coastal aquatic ecosystems. And climate change is poised to shift precipitation patterns and speed glacial melt, altering water supplies and intensifying floods and drought.

WRI works with businesses, governments, and civil society to ensure a water-secure future. We seek to address both water quantity and quality challenges.

Our Aqueduct project uses the most up-to-date data to produce global water risk maps, allowing stakeholders to assess current and future challenges. We conduct economic and other analyses to identify the most cost-effective strategies to reduce water pollution. And we identify solutions—such as restoring ecosystem services—to alleviate stresses on the world’s water supplies.

Top Water Outcomes

What's a top outcome?

Top outcomes are WRI's biggest success stories. They occur when our analysis, solutions, or partnerships result in significant change in the world.

Featured Expert

Betsy Otto

Global Director, Water

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February 15, 2019 Event

Webinar: Global Nutrient Management Toolbox

Join the Global Partnership on Nutrient Management and WRI as we showcase a new resource for sustainable nutrient management. The Global Nutrient Management Toolbox was designed to help decision makers from local to global, across agriculture, urban, wastewater and energy sectors, take action to better manage nutrients and reduce harm to the environment.
February 06, 2019 Event

Webinar: Fighting Fire with Finance: Innovative Investments for Climate Resilience

A webinar which will highlight the challenge of overgrown forests, the opportunity for collaborative approaches like the Forest Resilience Bond, and the impacts of accelerating the pace and scale of forest restoration.
January 28, 2019 Blog post

We Rely on Water for Everything We Need. Why Don't We Manage It That Way?

WRI Water Program Director Betsy Otto argues the world needs to make water security a top priority and outlines three key steps we can take, taking a global perspective with examples from the United States and Ethiopia.
December 18, 2018 Blog post

Restoring Rio de Janeiro’s Forests Could Save $79 Million in Water Treatment Costs

For the cash-strapped government of Rio de Janeiro, restoring forests around the city is a smart investment. New research shows that forests can provide Rio with better water quality at lower cost.
November 05, 2018 Blog post

UN Security Council Examines the Connection Between Water Risk and Political Conflict

Water crises can shake societies, destroy livelihoods and threaten prosperity for decades. They can also be the spark that sets aflame a powder keg of social and political issues, resulting in violent conflict.
November 01, 2018 Blog post

Investors Think They Can Make Money Reducing Wildfire Risk. A Forest Restoration Project in Yuba, CA Puts this Idea into Practice.

The Forest Resilience Bond, backed by several foundations, an investment company and even an insurer, provides an innovative way to bring down costs to utilities and other stakeholders.