For an explanation of how this works, see Matt Sheldon’s article on how he constructs Calvert’s successful Global Water Fund. This will create a buoyant marketplace for water-related investing in coming years. Water, the paper argues, has much to offer impact in financial terms. Starting from the premise that water is a human right, she recommends limits to its commoditization and calls for businesses and governments to adopt a new “water ethic“: “Water must never be bought, hoarded, sold or traded as a commodity on the open market,” she writes, “and governments must maintain the water commons for the public good, not private gain. *Investments: not FDIC insured – No Bank Guarantee – May Lose Value. While private businesses have a role in helping find solutions to our water crisis, they shouldn’t be allowed to determine access to this basic public service. Collecting water data will be part of this. These include: -Water waste and water utilities: Companies managing infrastructure and delivery of water and or treating wastewater or reuse and safe remediation back into the environment scoring and ranking a company’s contribution to the specific Impact Area through a proprietary With COIN, you'll get to choose from 8 Impact Areas, ranging from Clean Water to Better Health. Sign up for free newsletters and get more CNBC delivered to your inbox. Water, which ensures availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all. Choose the 3 you care about most and we'll create a portfolio, which contains companies making an impact in those areas. The public good trumps the corporate drive to make profits when it comes to water.”, Whatever one’s stance on the commercialization of water, it’s clear that the water sector is now at a turning point and this means impact investors have a golden opportunity to shape its future. All these factors are coming together to produce what some commentators have called a “blue gold rush“; a sharp rise in interest in water investing among mainstream investors that clearly holds opportunities for impact investors, too. Choose where you want to make an impact. Others, including Michael Van Patten of Markets With Mission, have made similar suggestions. Enjoy Reading. The World Health Organization estimates that it will cost $200 billion in capital annually to solve the global water crisis over five years, and maintain the infrastructure. Pollution, deforestation and climate change are taking a toll on supply, with many dry regions, like California and Australia, experiencing the longest droughts in their history. To find live impact deals in the water sector, logon to Maximpact. Water sector investment is undergoing a boom and, if the right safeguards aren’t applied, social and environmental concerns could fall by the wayside. Why is this important? Be Part of the Got a confidential news tip? A Division of NBCUniversal. JHPFS may use data from third The follow up to the #1 New York Times bestselling An Inconvenient Truth An Inconvenient... Read more →, DRAWDOWN: The most comprehensive plan ever proposed to reverse global warming edited by Paul Hawken... Read more →, Your Guide to Healthier Products  What if products improved your quality of life and helped... Read more →, Cities Show Strong Climate Leadership in Paris, Funding Water and Sanitation Business at the Bottom of the Pyramid, Making Safe: Seven Strategies for Managing Risk in Impact Investing, From Net Zero to Net Positive in Water and Energy Sectors: The Time is Now, Impact Investing 2.0 and the Rise of Multilingual Leadership Teams: An Interview with Jed Emerson. First, it’s a huge sector that boasts a wide range of investment opportunities in companies that provide the operations, equipment, chemicals, and services that make water available for municipal, industrial, and agricultural markets worldwide. And what about managing negative social or environmental impacts of capitalizing on water? Water activist Maude Barlow takes a different tack. Part of the Solution: Invest in Companies Supporting Clean Water, A New Way to Animals, plants, ecosystems and habitats all require adequate water to thrive. Competition for water can mean the poor and marginalized are denied fair access. Polluted water; such as agricultural runoff, which is often full of nitrates; can devastate whole ecosystems and destroy species. As Falci explained, “Impact’s success so far has been in channeling private capital to small businesses that lacked access to other sources of finance. A person only becomes a client investment outcomes or goal achievement dates are hypothetical in nature, provided for educational Since 2014, Matt Damon's water equity impact fund has grown to $60 million and has provided more than 16 million people with access to safe water and sanitation. Once considered a free natural resource, water is increasingly a focus for finance and speculation; hardly surprising in a world where water stress is a reality, global demand for water is on the increase and investment in water-related infrastructure is urgently needed, according to sector-watchers such as the World Bank-sponsored 2030 Water Resources Group.