Water waste is \u201camplifying the climate crisis\u201d and damaging economic resilience. Experts are now calling for urgent action.<\/p>\n
A new report from Danfoss warns that the water sector\u2019s energy consumption is expected to double by 2040, while the energy sector\u2019s water demand could rise by almost 60 per cent.<\/p>\n
Global water demand could also outstrip supply by 40 per cent in the next five years, adding to the 3.6 billion people who already lack adequate access to water all year round.<\/p>\n
How are energy and water connected?<\/p>\n
Every stage of the water cycle requires energy<\/a>: from extraction and treatment to delivery and use.<\/p>\n As the global population grows, the demand for freshwater increases, meaning more energy is needed to pump, treat, and distribute it. Already, the energy sector accounts for around 14 per cent of global freshwater withdrawals<\/a>. <\/p>\n This is where water is taken from natural resources like rivers and lakes for uses such as drinking, farming, making products or producing electricity. Some of the water gets cleaned and returned to nature, but much of it goes into food and products.<\/p>\n This mutual dependence means that stress on one system will directly affect the other. For example, energy shortages can limit water supply operations, while droughts and heatwaves risk disrupting power generation.<\/p>\n Experts have therefore argued that Europe can no longer afford to address these systems separately. <\/p>\n \u201cHow we use energy in our water system carries significant resilience and competitiveness risks,\u201d Kim Fausing, CEO of Danfoss, tells Euronews Green.<\/p>\n \u201cIn Europe, far too much treated water, and the energy used to pump and treat it, is wasted through leaks and inefficiencies, posing an economic and security challenge.\u201d<\/p>\n Europe\u2019s water crisis. How much will it cost?<\/p>\n Ignoring inefficiencies in water and energy risks spiralling costs, and could even knock downGDP<\/a> in high-income countries by eight per cent, or 10-15 per cent in lower-income countries, by 2050.<\/p>\n So far, global water-related challenges have already added around $9.6 billion (approximately \u20ac8.26 billion) in expenses to the power sector. <\/p>\n In Europe, most EU member states will need to spend between \u20ac500 and \u20ac1,000 more per person in total by 2030 on water supply and sanitation just to comply with existing water regulations.<\/p>\n Aside from financial impacts, the water crisis threatens public health, infrastructure stability, and geopolitical security. Limited access to affordable water or energy can fuel hardship and even conflict, especially in regions reliant on imported energy or shared water resources.<\/p>\n However, technological solutions that already exist could help strengthen water and energy efficiency<\/a>across all phases of the water cycle.<\/p>\n \u201cWe need ambitious regulation, water efficiency targets, and incentive systems that stimulate investment in proven technologies like leak detection, smart metering, pressure management, and energy efficiency optimisation,\u201d Fausing adds.<\/p>\n \u201cGovernments should consider integrating water efficiency into energy audits and set national industrial water reuse targets. Every drop saved means less energy wasted.\u201d<\/p>\n