Dear John,
Hello from Climate Week NYC! This week I joined global business leaders, political change makers, and stakeholders to speed up progress on the world’s most challenging climate-related issues, including water scarcity and pollution, and deteriorating biodiversity.
I had the opportunity to highlight the critical link between water and nature at the World Biodiversity Summit (photo at right) on the sidelines of Climate Week. Water is a key driver in nature, and biodiversity loss and healthy ecosystems support sustainable freshwater systems.
However, this symbiotic relationship is under threat. Freshwater ecosystems are among the most vulnerable in the world: Wetlands have declined three times faster than forests, and freshwater vertebrae populations have declined 84% since 1970.
Protecting and restoring ecosystems is a key focus for investors engaging with companies through the Ceres Valuing Water Finance Initiative. More than 90 investors representing $17 trillion in assets are working with companies that have substantial water footprints to better manage their broad, interrelated water impacts across the value chain.
We will soon be releasing our first benchmark report assessing where the 72 focus companies of the initiative are on their water stewardship journey. Our research team, using publicly available company disclosures, have examined how companies are addressing the amount of water they use, impacts to water quality and communities’ clean water supplies, how they are preserving healthy ecosystems, as well board oversight and public policy efforts supporting water stewardship strategies.
Watch for the release of the benchmark report on Oct. 25. A webinar delving into key findings and the significance of the benchmark as a tool for both investors and companies working to raise their ambition to protect water resources will be on November 7. |
| We face a frightening future where no community, ecosystem, or business will be untouched by water scarcity and pollution. Many investors and companies are working to avert this crisis, joining forces and finding solutions to safeguard precious water resources. We must leverage the energy stemming from Climate Week, the UN Water Conference, and other events this year to ensure sustainable water supplies for generations to come. |
