Water

Earth Day’s 50th comes at just the right moment

22 Apr 2020

Half a century ago, Americans protested in droves for cleaner air and water. But progress has slowed, or been undone, while air pollution costs the global economy $3 trln a year. The pandemic has given a taste of a less smoggy world that could bolster efforts to cut emissions.

Virus makes water shortages everyone’s problem

26 Mar 2020

The quest to protect clean water supplies has lacked the snappy targets and big corporate backers of the climate-change movement. A global obsession with handwashing amid the Covid-19 pandemic may change that. When one region can’t take simple steps to sanitize, all are at risk.

An ever-drier world will unleash investment flood

6 Jan 2020

By 2030 humans will be using 56% more water than is sustainable, a new report shows. Closing the gap may cost $1 trln a year. But companies and investors are showing more interest in preventing a global water crisis. That bodes well for finding solutions – and making a profit.

The Exchange: India’s water crisis

6 Jan 2020

Kicking off Predictions 2020, Amit Chandra of Bain, Reshma Anand of Hindustan Unilever Foundation and Mridula Ramesh of the Sundaram Climate Institute come together in Mumbai to discuss who should pay for the scarce resource, and how the private sector can map out its true cost.

India Insight: Onion prices add to nation’s tears

23 Dec 2019

Amid violent protests over a citizenship law, Indians are also having to deal with poor harvests for this staple of the curry dish. It’s a glimpse into how changing climate patterns will exacerbate inefficiencies and create more of the volatility famous for toppling governments.

M&A bankers will turn climate risk into clients

19 Dec 2019

The financial impact of global warming is one of the biggest strategic issues CEOs face, yet it plays a small role in dealmaking. That might change in 2020 as shifting regulation and consumer habits start to affect the bottom line, giving climate-conscious advisers an edge.

Chinese bottled water IPO offers up a muddy glass

18 Dec 2019

Market-leader Nongfu Spring could raise more than $1 bln in Hong Kong. Mainland households are drinking more of the bottled stuff as incomes rise. That thirst, though, has brought competitors, and may also prompt a much-needed tightening of environmental and consumer rules.

E-book: Water, climate and finance

18 Nov 2019

Global warming makes itself felt most keenly through floods, drought and changing rain and snowfall patterns. This collection of columns lays out Breakingviews’ take on what that means for companies, investors and economies around the world.

Nestlé shrugs off eco worries with water refresh

17 Oct 2019

The $316 bln consumer giant wants to revive a tepid growth in a business dogged by environmental concerns. Splitting the division into three locally-managed units may help the Perrier maker push new products. But any dilution of financial reporting would also mean less scrutiny.

Suez turnaround is stuck on an amber light

2 Oct 2019

Empire-building has weighed on the French utility’s returns. A new focus on the bottom line is thus a win for activist Amber Capital. Still, a share price dip on Wednesday suggests investors aren’t ready to take CEO Bertrand Camus’s promises of better top line growth on trust.

Markets short-termism keeps climate fight boxed in

27 Sep 2019

Governments and the private sector alike pledged to do more to tackle global warming at the U.N. climate summit. Committed financial resources, though, are thin on the ground. Blame wary CFOs, hidebound investors and skewed incentives. It’s creating huge embedded risks.

Guest view: Water can make or break climate action

23 Sep 2019

Billions lack access to safe water and sanitation. Traditional fixes are energy- and carbon-intensive. But as Peter Gleick of the Pacific Institute and Gary White and Matt Damon of Water.org argue, a mix of leak detection, renewable power and green finance can take up the slack.

Climate-activist investors are due for a new dive

3 Sep 2019

Treating and moving water can account for 20% of energy use. And many companies are ignoring the risk to their operations of too much or too little of the liquid, judging by a recent industry conference. That presents fertile ground for pushy stock- and bondholders.

The Exchange: Banking on water

27 Aug 2019

Wall Street is diving into climate risk - with the exception of water. Torgny Holmgren of the Stockholm International Water Institute explains how that’s starting to change and how properly valuing the asset and smart use of technology are key to solving the crisis.

Wall Street mistakes water for a business washout

26 Aug 2019

Big banks and investors are thin on the ground at water confabs, including this week’s bumper affair in Stockholm. Yet clean, fresh supplies are increasingly scarce. The economic and financial implications interact with climate risks, too. The finance whizzes are missing out.

Suez boss gets helpful kick in derriere from Amber

18 Jul 2019

The 8 bln euro French utility, whose history includes the Egyptian canal’s construction, presents a juicy target for the activist. Bertrand Camus just took the reins in May, following years of crummy empire-building returns. He should welcome Amber’s thoughtful approach.

Viewsroom: Can India solve its water crisis?

11 Jul 2019

Chennai, the country’s Motor City, has run dry. Another 20 metropolises could follow by next year. The personal and economic toll is mounting. Plugging leaks, better crop choices and proper pricing can help. Often, as water problems elsewhere show, that requires good governance.

India Insight: Not enough water for 1.3 bln people

10 Jun 2019

Maharashtra boasts one-tenth of the country’s population and the biggest economy of any state, but it is parched. Beyond the capital, Mumbai, a cattle camp offers a window into India’s struggle with water. Skewed incentives need to be reset, and more, to avert a stirring crisis.

Water can flow around U.S. infrastructure blockage

24 May 2019

The $1 trln needed to fix the nation’s aging pipes and other H2O infrastructure isn’t coming any time soon – as a new delay to a U.S. funding plan makes clear. The industry still has room for improvement, though, starting with better use of technology, data and capital.

UK may swap one utilities dogma for another

15 May 2019

If elected, opposition Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn could nationalise water and energy networks below market value. Crudely ditching privatisation for state ownership carries legal and reputational risks. Better to lower the returns that regulators allow these companies to make.