The Carbon Disclosure Project has done a very good job at bringing investors together to effectively persuade corporations to disclose and focus on reducing their carbon footprint. 2,500 of the world's largest corporations measure and report their carbon usage through the CDP.
The CDP is announcing on Wednesday that they will use their highly effective model to force corporations to reveal and pay attention to their water footprint as well as their carbon footprint. This would include how much water is used by corporations in their operations and where they source their water from (whether it comes from regions with shortages etc.)
The idea behind the original project came from the fact that corporations have larger carbon and ecological footprints than many countries. Furthermore, international agreements such as the Kyoto Protocol had not proven to be very effective and many countries ( the US included) have not ratified it. So, the focus is on investors who might be able to make a bigger difference in influencing the biggest polluters, while reducing their long-term risk in their investments.
This new water accounting that will be used by the CDP is great news. Water use and cleanliness needs to be recognized as one of our top environmental priorities, right up their with carbon emissions.
For more information on CPD's water program or how to report for your organization, click here.
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