As we move outside the ‘safe operating space of our planetary boundaries’, Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s Nick Jeffries explores what is a circular economy & implications for water … more

Science & policy have their own language but given significant climate risk overshadowed by fake news, can we afford to speak in tongues? Hu & Tan on why it’s time to step up efforts to bridge science and policy with finance … more

China’s groundwater is overextracted and this needs immediate tackling. Prof Asit K Biswas & Kris Hartley from the Lee Kuan Yew School for Public Policy explore solutions, from desalination to sponge cities … more

Much is made of the DongShen Agreement’s price tag but more complex issues such as the city’s overuse & leakage need discussing. Hear from Civic Exchange on HK’s ‘illusion of plenty’ … more

Hong Kong is prone to tropical cyclones, which will be exacerbated by climate change. Can the city become climate & flood resilient? Hear from Richard Leung from the Drainage Services Department on actions taken so far … more

Treating air pollution in thermal power plants create hard-to-treat wastewater as a by-product: is zero liquid discharge the way forward? Bluetech Research’s Rhys Owen expands … more

China’s new Environmental Protection Law has been in force more than two years now. Has it been enforced? What has the impact been? Who has been hit? Professor Wang Canfa from the University of Political Science and Law in Beijing reviews
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2.4bn people still lack clean sanitation but flushing toilets may not be the answer with limited or no access to water. Derek Lam expands on an affordable alternative – a waterless, chemical-free toilet system named DEHTLET … more

Bao Hang & Deng Tingting from Greenpeace share key findings from their recent report on provincial performance in the 12FYP. Which provinces met water quality targets? Which failed? … more

Industrial parks generate 22.5% of China’s GDP but can this last given water security and pollution concerns? An Chen, from the TEDA Eco Center & Zhenzhen Xu from the Alliance for Water Stewardship show how the Tianjin Economic-Technological Development Area leads in mitigating these risks … more

More & more companies view water as a business risk & water stewardship as a solution but current water stewardship metrics are inadequate. Shiao from Pacific Institute shares a new approach … more

With the Pearl River Delta set to lead China’s economic growth, China Water Risk’s Feng Hu & the Alliance for Water Stewardship’s Zhenzhen Xu explain why business should adopt water stewardship to ensure continued prosperity … more

China and Kazakhstan share 24 rivers. Dr. Selina Ho from the National University of Singapore reviews their history of transboundary river co-operation and why this relationship is more advanced than China’s river relations with India & the Mekong states … more

China wants a green credit rating system. Dr Guo Peiyuan of the China Financial Association’s Green Finance Expert Committee, expands on how publicly available environmental data can help … more

Earthwatch Institute’s Benita Chick explores how the public can work with scientists to fast-track 11 years worth of water research. Find out what local and global impacts such programmes can make … more

Water stress across 54% of China worsened in 2001-2010. The World Resources Institute’s Dr Jiao Wang, Dr Lijin Zhong & Charles Iceland deliver the good and the bad news of their latest research … more

In 2015, the world economy decarbonised at a record 2.8%. China led with the biggest reduction of 6.4%. PricewaterhouseCoopers’ Robert Milnes on how this is tracked in their Low Carbon Economy Index … more

The wastewater industry consumes a lot of energy. Xylem’s Lu Shuping shows how its rapid expansion makes it ripe for attractive energy savings opportunities, especially in China … more

Hong Kong’s increasing waste load by 2030 will put tremendous pressure on its management capability. Veolia’s Nina Cambadelis introduces T PARK, a state-of-the-art sludge treatment facility that turns waste into energy while achieving ‘zero wastewater discharge’ … more

The growth of electric vehicles in China could displace 1mn barrels/day of crude oil by late 2020s. How will this impact companies with fossil fuel assets? How can Asian investors minimise their exposure? WWF’s Jean-Marc Champagne on their latest report … more

Scotland’s ‘Hydro Nation’ vision is underpinned by a statutory duty. Barry Grieg from the Scottish govt on how it manages water with various stakeholders, the many successes so far & what is still to come … more

William Sarni, water stewardship expert, on the need for innovation in water strategies in order to better position for 21st Century water risks. Sarni points to “business ecosystems” as the driver for this innovation and value creation … more

Water is key to the shift to a low-carbon world. Yet, companies aren’t moving fast enough as CDP’s latest Global Water Report 2016 shows. Their Morgon Gillespy on key findings from the report and the need for still more action … more

Climate change will likely intensify water-related challenges in river basins. Meanwhile, the Mekong River Commission is experiencing funding cuts. adelphi’s Sabine Blumstein shares 3 reasons for stronger integration of climate policy & water instruments … more

As China Water Risk turns five years old, CWR’s Tan reflects on our work so far. Have we made a difference? Plus, check out her wish list for the next five years … more

Climate bonds are rapidly growing but there’s verification concerns & gaps for water-related investments. A new approved standard for water bonds tackles these, hear from some of its creators … more

Landfill leachate, a highly polluting effluent, is now under new China EPA standards. Regular treatment has limitations but EWS:AOx™ by OriginClear is versatile alternative as its Jean-Louis Kindler, Nicholas Eckelberry and Stephen Jan show
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Global climate targets are connected to day-to-day operations of companies and with COP 22 underway China Water Risk’s Dawn McGregor reflects on how clearly we are seeing corporate disclosure, the obstacles in our way & if there will be a sunny day … more

Even if all pledges made at COP21 are carried out, global staple crops face increased failures and 1.5 billion more people are to face water stress by 2050. Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Mark Dwortzan shares more findings & solutions from their report … more

Cities & their waterscapes face challenges. In Arcadis’ inaugural water index of 50 cities 9/12 Asian cities are in the bottom half. Arcadis’ Batten expands … more

Earth Security Group’s CEO brief warns that depletion of aquifers is creating systemic business risks and geopolitical challenges. See why authors Litovsky & Hill Clarvis think these are risks so great that countries & MNCs must come together to collaborate on solutions … more

Are water risks and their potential impacts factored in by banks? Or is ‘water exposure’ just the water used in their office buildings & branches? Tan says prudence dictates we must start to waterproof portfolios … more

By the end of the century, 67% of China’s ice may be gone. Can the Yangtze survive? As temperatures rise, the glaciers which sustain Asia’s longest river are reaching the tipping point. Sam Inglis explores the headwaters, as we march towards an ice-free Yangtze … more

With more granular data from the Chinese government, WRI China upgraded its Aqueduct Baseline Water Stress (BWS) maps for China. BWS China developers Wang, Zhong & Long explain key differences … more

Sand filters are the primary means of treatment but there are performance & stability issues. Dr Howard Dryden, inventor of the up-cycled AFM® filter tells us how his filter means lower costs & bacteria & longer life … more

What are your water habits? Even giving up chocolate for one week can positively impact our waters as Patricia Dwyer, Founder & Director of The Purpose Business Group, tells us. See what other changes you can make … more

Water-related risks can be numerous for any given operational site. Nina Cambadelis & Johann Clere walk us through how Veolia’s tool, “The True Cost of Water” can mitigate risks and show potential economic gains … more

Globally 45% of existing and 44% of proposed coal power plants are in located in high water stress areas. Greenpeace’s Harri Lammi on how this can exacerbate conflicts between agriculture, industry & urban water use … more

Political momentum on climate action has not let up since Paris. With Fiji being the first to ratify the climate deal, CDP’s Kate Levick updates on the road so far to a low-carbon economy … more

Alliance for Water Stewardship’s Zhenzhen Xu, Ma Xi & Michael Spencer introduce the first ever global water stewardship standard and share lessons learnt from Ecolab’s pilot at their Taicang China chemical plant … more

Who’s better at building dams overseas? Datang, Huaneng, Three Gorges or Huadian? International Rivers’ Jenson-Cormier shares their benchmarking study on seven Chinese hydropower co’s … more

Can financing required to meet targets laid down in Paris be met? WRI’s Shouqing Zhu & Andrew Steer on how China can lead with five recommendations … more

Economic losses due to flooding amounted USD19 billion and will grow. Wouter Jan Klerk from Deltares shares cases from Vietnam, China & the Netherlands showing why flood risk modelling is a must for robust growth … more

More data is needed to reflect the real state of China’s environment. See why CWR’s Feng Hu on why this wish could come true in the 13th Five Year Plan (13FYP). But be warned, this could come with increasing power demand … more

Game of Thrones’ Ygritte might be right; Jon Snow, you know nothing. Tan mulls over the impact of findings from China’s Third National Assessment Report on Climate Change on the future of white Christmases, the Winter Olympics, skiing holidays and why find our inner-Yoda we must … more

The Hindu-Kush Himalayan region plays a vital role in Asia’s water future. It is a source of 10 major rivers which feed 16 countries. After a month in the Himalayas, CWR’s Tan shares her worries over the vanishing glaciers & the lack of cohesive action to tackle real threats … more

WRI’s Fu, Zhong & Wang investigate how Ningxia manages water resources to develop coal. See strategies to minimise water stress & allow economic growth … more

Award-winning explorer Jeff Fuchs returns to the Bara Shigri glacier only to find it drastically altered within two years. Sitting under an ice-shelf, Fuchs recounts local tales of “snows going” and the glacier’s “aches & groans” as it retreats … more

With waste levels already sky high and set to grow China Water Risk’s Dawn McGregor mulls over the challenges of being a responsible consumer from fashion to food to plastic. Be it as an individual or corporate, see what action you can take … more

What’s water’s role in sustainable development? How can we ensure water for all? China Water Risk’s McGregor on this, how Asia is fairing, the Sustainable Development Goals & more from World Water Week 2015 … more

Authors of new report say that China’s war on pollution has created a fundamentally new Chinese consumer. Hart, Ma, Ying & Zhu from Renmin University on why firms need to evolve their strategies … more

CDP’s report shows potentially inadequate water risk assessment by Chinese companies & those with HQ’s in China. CDP’s Gillespy on their latest report and why it’s time to report on water risks … more

China’s economy is slowing with challenges arising from ESG factors. MSCI’s Chew & Wang on pollution fines, anti-corruption crackdowns & more from their report. Investors need to be prepared … more

In Urumqi, China water & energy demand has increased due to rapid growth. Veolia’s Nina Cambadelis on how they upgraded a wastewater treatment plant in Urumqi to produce biogas from the digestion of sewage sludge … more

Ceres warns that water – or lack of it – is becoming a bigger financial issue for investors. Monika Freyman shares key points from their report on how to integrate water analysis into investment decisions … more

How does the new Made in China 2025 Action Plan fit with other ‘Future China’ plans? Are the ten industries in Made in China 2025 the same as the Circular Economy Ten? Find out why which list matters … more

See what tops our list of key takeaways from the 2015 World Water Forum in South Korea. From bottled water to ‘green hydropower’ and transboundary issues – where does China stand? … more

In the face of large scale soil and groundwater pollution a risk and megasite approach is best to remediate in a cost effective and sustainable manner. Deltares’ Dr. Annemieke Marsman outlines the strategy they developed … more

International Rivers China Program Director Grace Mang warns of prematurely celebrating China’s lower coal targets as 500GW of ‘clean’ hydro by 2050 brings its own risks. The time to discuss a ‘river conservation’ scenarios versus a ‘high renewable’ scenario is now … more

The Deputy Director of the Center for Water Resources Research at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Prof. Jia Shaofeng shares his views on how water demand by China’s energy bases can be met … more

To prevent & mitigate losses caused by climate events, the Columbia Water Center is developing advanced climate forecast products. Paulina Concha expands on this and the Center’s pilot with PepsiCo for its Frito Lay business … more

WRI’s Zhong, Hua & Genasci Smith share their analysis that show desalination alone cannot quench China’s thirst and investments in lower-cost less power hungry solutions such as water efficiency & wastewater reuse such be prioritized … more

With competition for water intensifying, paying more for water may not get you what you need. Deloitte Consulting’s Will Sarni on strategies that can help corporates secure water for growth … more

Xi’s carbon emission promise, increased regulatory risk are a few reasons why Debra Tan thinks Christmas came early for China’s waters. Industry beware; as China is expected to aggressively enforce some of these new polices … more

European & Chinese water policy experts Martin Griffiths & Chen Dongsheng gives an overview of their collaborative study on water permits systems as part of the China Europe Water Platform. What challenges lie ahead? What improvements are needed? … more

Governments & energy companies are grappling with balancing large shale gas reserves & limited water resources. Can countries unlock these reserves? WRI’s Maddocks & Reig share three shale tales from China, Argentina & the UK … more

China is expanding capacity at a furious pace and by end of 2015 daily capacity is expected to be at 2.2mt/day up from 0.9mt/day in 2013, but Tommy Patterson from Kreab Gavin Anderson explains why investors should proceed with caution … more

With up to 124GW of planned hydropower on China’s transboundary rivers, no wonder regional geopolitical tensions over water is running high. Debra Tan gives the low down on China’s hydropower expansion, are there other options to avoid sparking hydro wars? … more

Given China’s limited water resources, is planning to build 28 inland nuclear power plants wise? Wen Bo, policy & media advisor to the National Geographical Society on future nuclear plans and concerns over water resources … more

With heavy water use in hydraulic fracking for shale gas plus water pollution concerns, Freyman from Ceres shares water lessons & challenges learnt from the shale gas boom in the US … more

With rising urbanisation and the need for more water & power in Chinese cities, water & sustainability expert, Robert Brears shares some price & non-price management tools to better manage urban demands … more

Given the recent release of depressing groundwater & soil pollution statistics, Debra Tan gives us 5 reasons to stay optimistic – from changes in the law to water tariff hikes in Beijing … more

Can China achieve its planned RMB4.5trn energy-saving & environmental protection industry? HSBC’s Wai-Shin Chan on incentives, changes in environmental law, more regulatory muscle and what this means for water … more

Bloomberg’s Liu & Bullard, discuss the importance of ESG analytics and why water use & efficiency data is crucial in the face of an increasingly water-insecure future in identifying portfolio risk … more

With 51% of China’s planned expansion in coal-fired power plants in water scarce areas WRI discuss how China must reconcile its rising demand for coal & its increasingly scarce water supply … more

Could a shift in weather patterns mean that droughts in the normally water-rich South are here to stay? Could this derail China’s aggressive hydro expansion in Yunnan & Sichuan? Debra Tan expands … more

Pandhal, Hanotu and Zimmerman recount their award-winning & cost-effective way of harvesting algae from eutrophied lakes. Could algae be China’s new bio-fuel? … more

BNEF’s Nathaniel Bullard shares key findings of their report including the exposure of China’s Big 5 power companies to water risk. Can China afford to see 25% of her water going sole to power plants by 2030? Or should she prioritise agriculture or cities? … more

Danish Hydrology Institute’s Chengzi Chew explains why game scenarios with Aqua Republic can help in understanding water allocation for food, energy, people & businesses … more

With a water supply crisis as a top five risks facing the world, WRI’s Tien Shiao walks us through how Aqueduct can help companies and investors gain perspective … more

Ron Dizy, CEO of ENBALA Power Networks, the water industry’s Top 5 innovations that will matter most for the future, shares with us their award-winning tech that uses water systems to balance the electricity grid. … more

Debra talks about key issues & new trends surfacing from the Fortune Global Forum roundtable and why she thinks the 12FYP Strategic Emerging Industries are the real Magnificent Seven … more

With droughts affecting hydopower generation, is damming the best way forward? Katy Yan of International Rivers explains why China’s 12th FYP favors risky dams over climate resiliance … more

With coal-fired power plants and hydropower doubling by 2020, Debra Tan discusses coal, financing the power build out and dams. Is a fundamental shift required to work round these elephants? … more

Will China bypass First-Gen biofuels and power ahead to Second-Gen to be the global leader in Biofuels? Martijn Hoogerwerf of China Europe BioEnergy Consortium expands … more

With caps on both water and energy usage, saving water and electricity takes centre stage. Asia Clean Capital’s Brione Bruce explains how ground energy can help achieve double savings … more

Amnon Levy, COO of IDE Technologies on the shape of desalination market and the technology challenges ahead. Is this the only way out of China’s water scarcity problem?
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International Rivers’ Parekh and Yan, takes us through the pros and cons of Kyoto Protocol’s CDM’s hydropower projects and why it fails to promote sustainable development. Hydro represents 25% of all projects funded by CDM; China accounts for 64% of all hydro projects… … more

International Rivers’ Peter Bosshard talks about Sinohydro, the world’s foremost dam builder’s listing on the Shanghai Exchange and its opportunity to adopt a world class environmental policy. Sinohydro controls 70% of the Chinese and 50% of the global hydropower market. The company not only acts as a contractor, but is also a developer, operator and owner of power plants. … more

Carbon expert, Liam Salter tells us why CDM’s rules for catching ‘non-additional’ projects are not working, making it profitable for some CDM developers to trawl the market for projects at or close to completion and attempt a last gasp CDM retrofit. … more