Water is the single most important chemical compound for the preservation of human life and is one of the key enablers of the creation of wealth. Yet today, more than a billion people do not have access to safe drinking water and essential production processes are impacted by water scarcity.
The Dow Chemical Co. recently collaborated with IBM on their Global Innovation Outlook (GIO) on Water—a series of brainstorming sessions around the world, which brought together hundreds of the world’s leading water management experts to discuss strategies for improving the efficiency of the world’s water systems. The end report was published March 16, 2009.
“Dow believes that providing sustainable resolution to the global water challenge requires a collaborative approach from governments, businesses and humanitarian organizations,” said Neil C. Hawkins, Dow vice president, Sustainability. “Participating in IBM’s multi-stakeholder GIO process certainly allowed us to learn the perspectives from other key stakeholders and exchange ideas on how technology can help address the challenges we face.”
"The sessions revealed that society and business are facing some complex challenges when it comes to understanding and managing water resources on this planet. Without sufficient insight into factors affecting water supply and usage you increasingly run the risk of failure,” said Sharon Nunes, vice president for Big Green Innovations at IBM. “Technology will play an important role in supplying water to the billions of future urban dwellers. Smart infrastructure will provide solutions to address urbanization.”
For more information on the IBM Global Innovation Outlook on Water, visit: www.ibm.com/ibm/gio/water.html.
Source: Dow Chemical Co.
