Water should be approached holistically as a connector and a solutions space for more integrated, effective approaches to climate, nature, and other sustainability priorities. This is a key insight from GlobeScan and WWF’s latest report, The Future Water Agenda: How water can lead the way for sustainability and collective action.
In our global survey of more than 350 experts across sectors and geographies, more than two-thirds of experts believe it is extremely important to integrate water stewardship into corporate sustainability initiatives for climate adaptation, nature/biodiversity and nature-based solutions (NbS), and regenerative agriculture. Majorities of experts also feel it is at least somewhat important to integrate water stewardship into social sustainability initiatives such as farmers’ livelihoods, human rights and social justice, and women’s empowerment.
Corporate sustainability programs on water, climate, and nature are often largely conceived and implemented in siloes with limited consideration of the many interdependencies and important trade-offs that can undermine outcomes and have unintended, adverse consequences in other areas. Experts refer to carbon tunnel vision as one of the biggest obstacles to more progress on water and other sustainability priorities; on climate, experts continue to note that adaptation and resilience need much more attention and resources, and water and nature have key roles to play in solutions.
WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?
For water stewardship and other sustainability professionals, one of the most pressing questions to address may be how to best align and integrate water with other sustainability priorities. Rather than continuing to jump from one hot issue to the next, sustainability teams must find a better way to align and integrate their work across these deeply interconnected issue areas. Science-based methods also call for integrated, holistic approaches that align with the natural processes of the environment. In addition, experts point to the distinct advantage of more integrated approaches and programs delivering multiple co-benefits that improve the ROI and business case for sustainability programs and are more compelling for external stakeholders.
Supported by 20 member companies, GlobeScan and WWF’s Shaping the Future Water Agenda program included a global survey consultation with over 350 expert stakeholders in 63 countries, a public opinion survey of 30,000 people across 31 countries and territories, 29 in-depth interviews with experts across sectors, and research on NGO campaigning on water issues by SIGWATCH.
Survey Question: How important is it to integrate water stewardship into each of the following corporate sustainability initiatives? should speak out and take sides on the following issues? ‒ Government action to protect fresh water
Source: GlobeScan and WWF Shaping the Future Water Agenda report (Survey of 352 water and sustainability experts across 63 countries and territories in November ‒ December 2024)
