Water risk

"The possibility of an entity experiencing a water-related challenge (e.g., water scarcity, water stress, flooding, infrastructure decay, drought). The extent of risk is a function of the likelihood of a specific challenge occurring and the severity of the challenge’s impact. The severity of impact itself depends on the intensity of the challenge, as well as the vulnerability of the actor.

Water risk is felt differently by every sector of society and the organizations within them and thus is defined and interpreted differently (even when they experience the same degree of water-related challenges). That notwithstanding, many water-related challenges create risk for many different sectors and organizations simultaneously. This reality underpins the notion of what some refer to as “shared water risk,” which suggests that different sectors of society have a common interest in understanding and addressing shared water-related challenges. However, some contest the appropriateness of this term on the basis that risk is felt uniquely and separately by individual entities and is typically not shared, per se." (CEO Water Mandate, 2014)

Sources

CEO Water Mandate. "Driving Harmonization of Water-Related Terminology". Corporate Water Disclosure Guidelines. (2014). Link: https://ceowatermandate.org/disclosure/resources/driving/

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