Opinion: How the UN Water Conference can trigger fair water footprints

As the UN Water Conference is underway in New York, new research lays bare the grave injustice at the heart of the global water crisis — that the richest people on earth are exploiting the water needed by the poorest. Data from Water Witness International’s report shows that the “water footprints” of countries in the global north are leaving aquifers drained, rivers polluted, and communities less able to cope with climate change — also caused by the world’s higher-income nations, many of whom have cut international aid for water. Half of the global water use from rivers and aquifers to supply the food and goods consumed by high-income economies is from unsustainable sources — including from regions facing severe water scarcity. High-income economies across the world are profoundly dependent on water use beyond their borders to grow crops and produce goods through their water footprints. New data shows that global north economies typically rely on external water to meet between 40% to 80% of their total water needs, with this dependency steadily increasing. Half of the “blue water footprint” — water from rivers, lakes, and aquifers — used to produce crops and goods for the global north is unsustainable, and is a primary driver of resource depletion, ecosystem degradation, and conflict. As well as locking communities into climate vulnerability, such high levels of unsustainable water use present massive risks to strategically important global supply chains. From textiles and mining to food production and agricultural commodities, the global south’s potential is being eroded by irresponsible water use by businesses and the investors behind them. In Peru, the production of asparagus, avocados, and fresh produce for supermarkets in the U.S. and Europe is driving rapid aquifer depletion, conflict between water users, and water scarcity for hundreds of thousands of people. In Madagascar — the largest exporter of clothing to the European Union and the United States from sub-Saharan Africa — communities face water pollution and preferential water provision to factories making fast fashion. We need to see an end to the abuse of water in the global economy which risks the viability of our supply chains and the much-needed jobs and export revenue they provide in the global south. Beyond that, trade must no longer be based on the overexploitation of natural resources, poor conditions for workers, or climate vulnerability within communities. So what must be done? There’s a real glimmer of hope via the Glasgow Declaration for Fair Water Footprints, led by the governments of Austria, U.K., Finland, Malawi, Peru, Panama, and Madagascar. It commits signatories to zero pollution, sustainable use, water and sanitation for all, protection of nature, and drought and flood planning in supply chains by 2030. Delivering on these promises is exactly what we need to put water stewardship at the heart of the global economy. With the UN Water Conference happening now, we have five key recommendations which must be reflected in the UN Water Action Agenda to ensure a meaningful legacy for the event: 1. Businesses, supermarkets, and investors associated with supply chains and footprints identified as unsustainable or at risk must now proactively demonstrate credible water stewardship and engage in collective action for shared water security. 2. Resource a global Sustainable Development Goal 6, or SDG 6, Accountability Facility to channel financial, technical, and legal support to civil society in the global south so that they can investigate, monitor and take action on unjust and unsustainable use within supply chains. 3. Intergovernmental collaboration between consumer and producer nations, new aid, investment, and technical assistance for shared water security, which prioritizes those most vulnerable. 4. Systemic change in global financing, trade, and procurement, to drive divestment from companies that abuse water and to ensure that water footprints support rather than undermine SDG 6 delivery — including via the Fair Water Footprints initiative. 5. Establish a new transnational water governance regime and a U.N. Convention for Equitable and Sustainable Water Use to set ground rules, mitigate risks, and arbitrate fair use of the water upon which we all depend. Today, we are asking world leaders to end irresponsible water use in our supply chains by committing to fairer water footprints. Voluntary commitments are not enough — action needs to be backed by a new, enforceable U.N. Convention for Equitable and Sustainable Water Use in the global economy. We don’t necessarily need to reduce our water footprints — instead, we need to make sure they are sustainable and fair. This can only come through radically stronger accountability for responsible water use by businesses and supermarkets, as well as the banks and trading partners behind these thirsty and polluting supply chains. The Declaration for Fair Water Footprints is leading the way, but it needs others at the UN Water Conference this week to join up, take action, and be accountable so that everyone has access to the water they need. As our colleague Adrianaritsifa Ravoloson from the government of Madagascar puts it: “We know that the question of water resources is undeniably part of our path away from poverty and climate vulnerability. A fair water footprint is not only an absolute necessity but an urgent priority.”