Water scarcity is affecting the cost of living more than you realize.

We all know the cost of living has been rising at an alarming rate in recent years and for the most part we’ve attributed those costs to interest rates, inflation, the price of oil and pandemic related supply-chain issues.

But water scarcity is another reason consumers have less dollars in their pockets and it affects almost everything we use and buy on a day-to-day basis.

Water scarcity is driven by complex factors, including climate change, but over-consumption and industrial inefficiency put further stress on limited supplies – which is where our technology can help.

Economists interpret scarcity as a cost. Here’s what that looks like in the real world.

Groceries

Locally and globally, drought has been sending food prices soaring. In California, which grows a quarter of the world’s tomato products, farmers increasingly have to pay for irrigation water from wells. Which means pasta sauce, salsa and Ketchup prices have outpaced food inflation for the past 2 years. A wheat shortage has increased pasta prices by 8% in the USA and 20% in Italy. Steak and beef products are also soaring as farmers have been reducing herd sizes because there simply isn’t enough grass. Crop failures due to drought have also affected nuts, olive oil, cocoa and soy which are seeing all-time high prices with the price of cocoa more than doubling in the past 12 months alone.

Technology

Water consumption in the technology sector – specifically the manufacturing of microchips – has been rising 10% year-on-year due to the increasing processing power of our devices. The more complex the microchip is, the more ultrapure water it requires to keep it clean of dust and debris during the manufacturing process. A single computer microchip needs 10 gallons of water for the washing process alone. Chips built for AI workloads will require even more. Chip plants also need huge volumes of water to cool equipment. Reliance on water, which is increasingly scarce, leaves the microchip industry vulnerable to supply-chain issues, which means the cost goes up for your car, your cell phone, your tablet and your laptop.

Housing

Cement, the most used construction material worldwide (we use over 4 billion tonnes of it each year) is responsible for a staggering 9% of industrial water withdrawals worldwide. So, it’s hardly surprising that the industry is under increasing pressure to tighten up on water management. These increasing environmental regulations, combined with rising energy costs and growing demand for housing, continue to push cement prices, and therefore home prices, up.

Reducing Industrial Water Consumption – An Important Piece of the Solution

Improving industrial water consumption efficiency is essential in increasing global water security. In Canada, 2 out of every 3 liters of freshwater drawn is drawn for industrial consumption. Globally, 22% of freshwater drawn is drawn for industry.

Ionic Solutions technology is helping to reduce the volume of water drawn by industry, energy suppliers, manufacturers and more by increasing recovery and efficiency. Our technology can do this using less energy than competing technologies, resulting in less environmental impact and carbon emissions.

We believe reducing industrial water consumption is our biggest opportunity in addressing water scarcity, globally, and the impact it has on our people and planet.

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