Interpol - Half of World's Water Supply Stolen Every Year

We take water security for granted at our peril. It's vastly worse in places that are water insecure.

“According to Interpol, thieves steal as much as 30% to 50% of the world’s water supply annually – a big number. Compounding this problem is the fact that, as the scarcity of our most precious resource increases due to climate and other challenges, so too do the drivers for water theft.” 

In a paper published in Nature Sustainability, the researchers developed a framework and model which they applied to three case studies: cotton growing in Australia, marijuana cropping in the US and strawberry growing in Spain. 

Loch said the study found the drivers of water theft included social attitudes, institutions and future supply uncertainty.

Canada has been inexcusably negligent in protecting our water resources and ensuring that we recover the value of water taken by industry, notably the energy industry.

Governments in Canada admit to subsidizing the fossil energy industry to the tune of between $2 to $3 billion a year. The IMF, the International Monetary Fund, works out the real cost of subsidies, direct and indirect, tax deferrals, grants and other benefits at $46 to 60 billion per year.  That includes the government's failure to fairly value the vast amounts of water consumed by the industry.   These off-the-books subsidies bring the real cost to $1,650 per year for every man, woman and child in Canada.