The Stream, November 18: UNEP Calls for Green Global Economy

Water management trails climate change on companies’ agenda, despite significant near-term risk and opportunity, according to the Carbon Disclosure Project’s (CDP) Water Disclosure global report.

Two percent of the global gross domestic product (GDP) should be invested in 10 industries — including water, agriculture and energy — to start making the global economy more sustainable, the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) said in a new report, according to Xinhua.

United States
State regulators told a congressional committee in the United States that they do not want the federal government involved in regulating the disposal of wastewater from hydraulic fracturing, which is used to extract underground natural gas deposits, The Wall Street Journal reported. Meanwhile, the state of New York commenced Wednesday public hearings on fracking.

The U.S. Senate will work on a bill next year to improve cyber-security for important infrastructure such as power and water plants, according to Reuters.

Europe
Britain may face a drought next year as forecasters predict a second dry winter, the Guardian reported. Water companies are suggesting that residents cut back on consumption to slow down the depletion of reservoirs, rivers and aquifers.

Bulgaria is encouraging gold mining in an impoverished town despite strong concerns about potential water pollution, the Pulitzer Center reported.

Africa
Concern is rising in Mali as more and more arable land is snapped up by foreign countries that want to increase their food security and produce biofuels, according to the Guardian. More than 544,500 hectares of arable land in Mali were being leased by foreign investors by the end of 2010, a 60 percent increase from the previous year.

China
China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region plans to build 59 reservoirs in the surrounding mountains to catch water from melting glaciers, Xinhua reported. Glacial melt often causes flooding in the spring and summer.

The Stream is a daily digest spotting global water trends. To get more water news, follow Circle of Blue on Twitter and sign up for our newsletter.

Codi Kozacek

A news correspondent for Circle of Blue based out of Hawaii. She writes The Stream, Circle of Blue’s daily digest of international water news trends. Her interests include food security, ecology and the Great Lakes.
Contact Codi Kozacek