Our leadership believes water is more important than oil, said the CEO of Masdar, addressing the Sustainability week at Abu Dhabi.
Now there are ways to look at that 'profound' statement. Incredulous. Cynical. Hilarious. How can anyone have believed that oil is more important than water? But believe it or not, it can happen in oil-soaked economies. The other way to look at the statement is the seriousness to be accorded to water prospecting, water conserving, etc vis a vis oil. An acknowledgement of tough times ahead. What better venue than the sustainability week at Abu Dhabi.
'We are gathered here today because we are confronted with a shared responsibility. A shared responsibility to address the intricate balance between our rising economies, our growing societies, and our limited resources. A balance that is crucial to achieving a sustainable future. And a balance that rests on two critical and deeply linked elements — energy and water. Without access to both, economic growth and human development cannot thrive and poverty and conflict cannot be prevented', said CEO Dr Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber said at the ongoing Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week, the 6th World Future Energy Summit, the 5th International Renewable Energy Conference. 'Achieving it will require creating the necessary regulations and policies, forging public and private partnerships, and driving the investment required to deliver real solutions. And solutions that will require a collective action, on a massive scale, from both governments and businesses.'
'We are gathered here today because we are confronted with a shared responsibility. A shared responsibility to address the intricate balance between our rising economies, our growing societies, and our limited resources. A balance that is crucial to achieving a sustainable future. And a balance that rests on two critical and deeply linked elements — energy and water. Without access to both, economic growth and human development cannot thrive and poverty and conflict cannot be prevented', said CEO Dr Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber said at the ongoing Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week, the 6th World Future Energy Summit, the 5th International Renewable Energy Conference. 'Achieving it will require creating the necessary regulations and policies, forging public and private partnerships, and driving the investment required to deliver real solutions. And solutions that will require a collective action, on a massive scale, from both governments and businesses.'
'Realizing action on such scale, may be viewed by some as a challenge. However, the UAE views this as a unique opportunity. In the UAE, a nation with the 5th largest proven oil reserves, our leadership believes that water… is more important than oil. We believe that water and energy require the equal attention of world leaders.'
Today, roughly 7% of the world’s energy consumption is used for water, when nearly 50% of the water withdrawn is used for creating energy. No longer can we address water without considering the energy needed to withdraw, treat, and transport it. And no longer can we address energy without considering the water needed to extract, generate, and produce it. Care to take a guess on which is more important??
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