Rivers Will Generate a Quarter of GDP by 2050

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http://www.motherjones.com/blue-marble/2012/06/river-basins-ganges-quarter-gdp-2050



Over 500 million people live in the Ganges river basin. juicyrai/Flickr


Water is the very stuff of life, yet billions of people do not have access to a clean, reliable source. Changing that takes investment—public and private—so winning the economic argument about the value of such investment is very valuable. And a new report commissioned by HSBC makes the argument in a striking way.

By mid-century, a full quarter of global GDP will be generated from within the world's 10 most populous river basins, predict researchers from Frontier Economics. In contrast, the current contribution from the people living on the banks of great rivers such as Ganges, Yangtze, Nile, and the Niger is just a tenth.

But that economic growth, lifting millions of people out of poverty, is far from guaranteed. If water is not better managed in 7 of the 10 river basins, they will be suffering from severe water scarcity by 2050.

"The findings show that the future of river basins is critical for global economic growth," said HSBC chairman Douglas Flint. "Rapid, collaborative action worldwide is needed. The report also highlights the powerful economic rationale for improving access to freshwater and sanitation, at a time when total aid for water access and sanitation has actually declined."