copied from Fidelity site:
It takes 35 gallons of water to make one cup of coffee. Why? Because of all the water used to cultivate coffee beans. Similarly, it can take about 635 gallons to make one hamburger because of all the water required to grow feed for the cows.
The need for clean fresh water is increasing rapidly, too, as populations rise and standards of living improve around the world. In some places — such as central California, the North China Plains, and parts of India — the demand for water is already outstripping the local supply.
Because global water consumption is expected to increase by 40% over the next 20 years, water shortages may get more acute and widespread, spurring more reliance on desalination technologies, water reuse, and conservation. The results could have massive economic, ecological, and geopolitical consequences, creating investing opportunities in places you may never have considered.
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In-Depth Coverage
Euromonitor International http://blog.euromonitor.com/2010/09/special-report-global-water-shortages-will-pose-major-challenges.html
Global Water Shortages Will Pose Major Challenges, September 13, 2010
CNNMoney http://tech.fortune.cnn.com/2010/04/13/water-the-most-undervalued-resource/
Water: The Most Undervalued Resource, April 13, 2010
The Economist http://www.economist.com/node/13447271
Water: Sin Aqua Non, April 8, 2009
Columbia Water Center http://water.columbia.edu/?id=PepsiCo-2011
Water Scarcity: A Shared Problem with a World of Solutions, June 27, 2011
GE Global Research http://ge.geglobalresearch.com/blog/water-scarcity
Water Scarcity Around the World, February 5, 2010
Asia Society http://sites.asiasociety.org/taskforces/water/interactive/
Water: Asia’s Next Challenge
European Commission http://ec.europa.eu/environment/water/quantity/scarcity_en.htm
Water Scarcity & Droughts in the European Union
Videos
BBC World News America
Global Water Shortage Pt.1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gg-ac0EaYDQ
Books
Planet Water: Investing in the World’s Most Valuable Resource http://www.wiley.com/WileyCDA/WileyTitle/productCd-0470277408.html
by Steve Hoffman
When the Rivers Run Dry: Water—The Defining Crisis of the Twenty-first Century http://books.google.com/books/about/When_the_rivers_run_dry.html?id=C0_q-90H1aAC
by Fred Pearce
Organizations
The Water Project http://thewaterproject.org/
World Water Council http://www.worldwatercouncil.org/
PeakWater.org http://peakwater.org
Water.org http://water.org
Purdue Calumet Water Institute http://webs.purduecal.edu/pwi/
Circle of Blue http://www.circleofblue.org/waternews/