Towards Sustainable Water Processes

Abstract

Megatrends of population growth, urbanization and global warming are making it more and more difficult to find clean water for our needs. Global demand for fresh water grows at 2-3%/year while availability of fresh water has not been increasing. Regional differences in the growth rates are big. The main sustainability objective in water processes is balancing the demand – supply equation. Human impact on the atmosphere seems to aggravate the water availability problem. Over two thirds of global fresh water need is for agriculture. Current practices and technologies in managing water streams are not enough in the future.