Foresight Water as a Circular Economy Resource

Humankind is now faced with the increasing risks of water scarcity, which requires a different approach to managing and reusing this precious resource. [...] A circular economy approach – which is intended to ensure that resources are kept in use at the highest possible economic value for as long as possible – enables a more efficient use of natural resources, including water (UNEP 2019a). [...] At the same time, in water scarce areas, water that is of “too high” a quality for certain purposes – drinking and bathing but particularly agriculture – is squandered. [...] Water is also structurally underpriced as our economic systems fail to account for the value of water. [...] This leads to the unsustainable use of fresh water and, as a result, the lack of access for the poor and vulnerable in many places (Global Commission on the Economics of Water 2023). [...] Including water when addressing the benefits and risks of the circular economy makes this concept more comprehensive. [...] However, some of them, for example Repair, are directly linked to typical production and industrial business, making it less possible to use this strategy in the context of water management. [...] As a guiding principle, ‘’Reduce by design’’ is proposed, thus it is all about re-conceptualizing the need for water, and how water is used to provide a more circular scheme. [...] The World Bank is promoting the Water in Circular Economy and Resilience (WICER) framework, (Figure 6) which defines key elements in a circular and resilient urban water system, providing examples to guide practitioners in implementing the circular economy in urban water management (Delgado et al. 2021). [...] Applications for such permission, with a statement of the purpose and extent of the reproduction, should be addressed to unep-communication-director@un.org.