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DELTARES, September 2016
the first generation that can banish poverty and the last
one that can prevent climate change with catastrophic
effects. But we have no time to lose.’
Why is businessmoving faster than the
politicians at themoment?
‘Companies are in a position to look beyond the next
elections. At least, if they take the opportunity. The World
Economic Forum recently interviewed a thousand CEOs
of the world's most successful companies and asked
them about their main concerns for the continuity of
their companies in the next eighteenmonths, and in ten
years fromnow. The first list was an exact reproduction
of the standard electionmanifesto anywhere in the
world. But the ten-year list was very different: water,
climate, extreme weather, food and social instability.
Which is exactly what I have onmy list.’
What should be at the top of the agenda?
‘Water, water, water. And in particular: groundwater. It
receives far too little attention. In some places in India
and China, so much groundwater is being extracted that
the only thing to come out of the pipe soon will be sand.
So food production will be at risk, and power plants will
have to shut down. Fortunately, there are now satellites
that can show where groundwater supplies are being
depleted. A lot can still be done in developing countries
in terms of crop selection and precision irrigation. On
condition that a good system is established for land
ownership so that investing in nature makes sense for
local farmers, and especially women.’
When will the problems you mention be
high-profile enough for action to be taken?
‘We need to adopt a different approach to reporting. We
need to discuss not only economic growth but also the
growth of human and natural capital. Because of my
background in economics, I know that, if you want to
get something done, you need to know what it costs,
and you need to reward good conduct. You need to tax
not only carbon emissions but also the value of eco-
systems, for example through the use of water. That is
really not as complicated as it might sound.’
Is investing in nature still not logical enough?
‘It is, once you know what the situation is. In Dar es
Salaam in Tanzania, the water supplies were getting
steadily cloudier. The water treatment plant couldn't
clean up the water properly any more. The solution:
a second treatment plant. But that was very expen-
sive. A study showed that the problem was caused
by deforestation upstream. Planting new trees and
improvements in forest management turned out to be
many times cheaper than a new treatment plant. And,
at the same time, there were benefits for biodiversity
and a whole range of other areas. The number of cases
like this is endless.’
And you haven't even mentioned the fact that
there are nowmore refugees on the move than
at any time since the SecondWorldWar.
Isn't
that ultimately due to climate problems, too?
‘It shows how climate change can lead to instability in
global politics. The situation in Syria escalated due to
a historic drought lasting six years. But it is too simple
to assume that people fled because of the drought. An
equally important factor is that Assad gave farmers
subsidies to grow cotton and grain, two notoriously
thirsty crops, in a country where the water supplies
are simply inadequate in many places. And then, when
food prices went through the roof after a crop failure
in Russia that was also caused by drought, he sold
his strategic reserves on the international market in
exchange for weapons while his own people were going
hungry.’
Are you enthusiastic about any political
leader at the moment?
‘I could mention a few, but let's take the Indian presi-
dent Modi, who is putting his faith in solar energy. His
ambition is to make the step from 3 to 100 gigawatts
in five years. The world total at the moment is 140.
Wham! Now that really is scaling up. It's a hopeful
development. So you see: It's never just about the
numbers. It's about what you do with them.’