Publication Laka-library:
Thirsty Energy. Water and Energy in the 21ste Century (2009)
| Author | World Economic Forum |
 |
6-01-0-00-256.pdf |
| Date | February 2009 |
| Classification | 6.01.0.00/256 (GENERAL) |
| Front | 
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From the publication:
ENERGY VISION
UPDATE 2009
Thirsty Energy:
Water and Energy in
the 21st Century
World Economic Forum
in partnership with
Cambridge Energy Research Associates
Message from the Energy Community Leader 2008
Energy and Water – Sustaining the Flow
By James E. Rogers, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, Duke Energy
Corporation, USA
In the last century, global consumption of our planet’s finite freshwater supply has grown at more than twice the rate of
world population growth, leaving an increasing number of regions chronically short of water, according to the United
Nations. By 2025, nearly 2 billion people will be living in countries or regions with absolute water scarcity, and two-
thirds of the world population could be living under stressed water conditions.
Water is critical to energy production and for reducing air emissions from producing energy. Yet, the water/energy
nexus is often overlooked. At the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2008 last January, I recall UN Secretary-
General Ban Ki-Moon warning that what most businesses are doing to address the water issue amounts to “a drop
in the bucket.”
But for many electric utilities around the world, that is not the case. With changing weather patterns causing more
frequent weather extremes in some areas, the availability of water is frequently receiving more attention. In fact, in the
United States, utility companies recognize that water quantity is becoming a significant permitting issue.
In the United States, electric utilities are one of the larger consumers of water, although agricultural irrigation is by far
the greatest water consumer. But unlike irrigation, and depending on the type of power generation, cooli