It's been said that if climate change is the shark, then water is its teeth. And a global shortage of fresh water is not only a health concern, but a business one as well.
In a time of climate-change-intensified drought as well as global population growth, the planet's fresh water supply is under pressure. And companies like Coca-Cola need tremendous amounts of water to stay in business. As much water goes into Coca-Cola drinks, most of it is used by the company in other ways: 73% flows into growing crops it puts in its beverages, like cane sugar, oranges and apples. The company says it is reducing water use on the farm through better irrigation.
"This is an arid region, it's a drought-stricken region and will continue to be a drought-stricken region," he said."It's imperative that if we want to stay in business and our communities want to thrive, that we continue to do our part and invest in our communities and our watersheds."Swire recently invested $5 million in reverse osmosis technology, a water-purification system that pushes water through a membrane.