Water-nomics

No water means no growth and Asia still has a long way to develop. Compared to other developed countries in the G20, China and India, the two most populous countries in the world, simply do not have enough water to ensure food & energy security plus develop under the current export-led economic growth model. This requires governments to rethink their economic and development models through a “water-nomic” lens, which means wedding economic planning to water management.

Regulating for water scarcity through quotas & permits plus tighter standards will clearly bring about transitional risks. Which sectors will be favoured? Which sectors will get less water and be targeted for clean-up? How will this impact companies & investors? More on this in Business Unusual and Water Risk Valuation or get Intelligence By Sector.

Looking forward, we expect water-nomic focus to turn to river basins as people and economies are clustered there. Some of Asia’s major rivers are already water stressed and will face increasing stress as urbanization rates rise and climate change impact river flows. It is thus imperative to start basin-level development strategies through stewardship, climate adaptation & transboundary cooperation.

Collaboration is key to advance the water-nomics conversation and we work with government-related organisations such as China’s Foreign Economic Cooperation Office (FECO) of the Ministry of Ecology & Environment as well as regional & global think tanks.

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