Today, water is at the heart of public debate in France. Because the future of water is in our hands, both as an individual and collective responsibility, Lyonnaise des Eaux favours a direct, discussion-based approach that is also transparent. We are happy to announce the launch of “New Ideas on Water”, a 12-month work programme involving discussions with consumers and all the stakeholders in water in France, from customers, to elected officials, institutional partners, association, environmental experts, economists, and Lyonnaise des Eaux and SUEZ ENVIRONNEMENT employees. Amongst other initiatives, www.ideesneuvessurleau.net is a web platform where users can share their ideas on the many ways water affects their daily lives.

More than 53 billion tons of polluted water are released back into the natural environment each year in China without being treated. Because of the economic and health risks that that causes, the Chinese government has decided to allocate 1.35% of its GNP to the environment.

Mumbai, the most densely-populated city in India with 13 million inhabitants in 2006, is currently facing a severe water crisis. The quantities of water available have reached a critical level, meaning the various uses of water resources have to be prioritised.

During a seminar held on 3 December 2009 in Hanoi (Vietnam) on public-private partnerships for water management and the environment, Charles Chaumin (President of SUEZ ENVIRONNEMENT Asia) and Frédéric GOURDIN (Director of SUEZ ENVIRONMENT China at that time) submitted responses to help Vietnam “reinforce its environmental policies”.

The 1st forum of the African Monitoring of the Environment for Sustainable Development programme (AMESD) was held in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on 1-4 December 2009. It was designed to set up a continental policy to manage water resources using “global structures for satellite observation of changes in rain basins”.

At the end of 2009, the 2030 Water Resources Group (McKinsey & Company, financial institutions, agricultural and industrial enterprises, experts, etc.) issued a report on the economic and social risks induced by possible water shortages on the 2030 timescale, and a number of recommendations to prevent them.

On October 23, 2009, the World Bank published a new study on the water treatment and distribution activities of major private operators (such as SUEZ ENVIRONNEMENT, Veolia, Saur and Agbar) in emerging countries. The study concludes that “well-managed public utilities can be found within the developing world”, but that “the private sector has much to offer”.

Given the urgency of climate change, the mobilisation of all players is essential. Within the Copenhagen Conference on climate, SUEZ ENVIRONNEMENT has presented its contribution to international action to confront climate change through a “White Paper”.

The French National Observatory on the Effects of Climate Warming (ONERC) has just submitted its third report to Jean-Louis Borloo, the French Minister for Ecology. The report presents the Observatory’s results for ten key sectors: natural risks, water resources, biodiversity, health, road infrastructures, agriculture, forestry, energy, tourism and regional development. It indicates that the annual costs related to climate change could reach several billion euros if adaptive measures are not quickly taken.

According to the preliminary conclusions of a global World Bank study entitled “Economics of Adaptation to Climate Change” (EACC), adapting to climate change will cost developing countries between USD 75 to 100 billion per year between 2010 and 2050 if global temperatures rise 2°C by the latter date.