Global Review “The Economics of Water and Beyond”
A healthy planet is the foundation for societal well-being and a healthy economy. A healthy planet enables development. However, three interrelated crises affect the planet’s health: climate, biodiversity, and water. All three have dominated the World Economic Forum’s risk top 5 for the global economy since 2010. All three are symptoms of an economic system that defines success too narrowly in terms of increases in produced and human capital. All three challenge planetary boundaries without considering decline in natural capital and growing inequality within and between societies. Collectively, these crises move society toward tipping points – a trajectory that increases the probability of catastrophic events, and that eventually will pass a point of no return. This non-linearity introduces uncertainty that societies are ill-prepared for.