G20 Foundation Publications Australia 2014 | Page 68

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C L I M AT E C H A N G E & S U S TA I N A B I L I T Y
Sustainable water
agriculture ensures
environmental security
Scott Vaughan, President, International Institute for Sustainable
Development (IISD)
We all depend on a reliable supply
of clean, fresh water for life, for
our livelihoods and for economic
development. Humans have shown
remarkable ingenuity in finding
new technology pathways and
substitutes for many resource
needs. However, we cannot live
without fresh water. While progress
has been made in the delivery of
clean water for all, too many people
still face crippling damage to human
health, as well as broader economic
development challenges, because of
inadequate or dirty water
One of the biggest users of water is
agriculture, accounting for 70 per cent
of all water use worldwide. Water is
the lifeblood of agriculture and food
production.
In recent years, policy-makers have
recognized the joint challenges associated
with clean, abundant water and global
food security. As the planet’s population
increases, food-growing systems face
mounting pressures to secure long-term
supplies of clean water responsive to
the demands of ever more complex food
distribution supply chains and changing
domestic diets. Despite progress, practical
impediments to coordinating water
management and agricultural policies
persist due to any number of barriers,