Nestle chairman: Time to turn off the water taps

cnbc ^ | 3-24-2015

[Citizen Zed]

The world will run out of fresh water long before it runs out of oil, with the potential for major deficits by 2030, the chairman of bottled water giant Nestle said.

"We have a major water management crisis," Peter Brabeck-Letmathe told CNBC on the sidelines of the Credit Suisse Asian Investment Conference on Tuesday. "We are destroying 20 percent more water for human consumption than there is available."

Around 1.2 billion people, or almost one-fifth of the world's population, live in areas of physical scarcity, and 500 million people are approaching this situation, according to data from the United Nations. Another 1.6 billion people, or almost one quarter of the world's population, face economic water shortage.

(Snip)

"Water is a human right. I fully agree with that," Brabeck-Letmathe said, noting that the around 30 liters a day needed for basic living should be provided without charge to those who can't afford it. But that amount only accounts for around 1.5 percent of the fresh water destroyed daily, he said.

He's more concerned about the other 98.5 percent. "I don't think it's a human right to fill up a swimming pool. I don't think it's a human right to wash cars. I don't think it's a human right to water a golf course," he said.

Growing investment gap

In addition to general concerns about wasteful use, Brabeck-Letmathe noted that water infrastructure has a growing investment gap, estimating the global minimum needed is around $770 billion a year, with the annual deficit running at around $250 billion.

"Infrastructure is falling apart," he said, adding it's not just an emerging market problem, with around 35 percent of water in London lost due to poor infrastructure.

[dead]

He's worried about over consumption. He lives here:

[GOPJ]

When Michael Moore and Al Gore ‘trap’ water in the concrete and building materials used to create their mansions it's water than can't be reclaimed... Time to guilt trip liberal elites.