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.

Water consumption by the power sector was a central issue in discussions during the 5th World Water Forum in Istanbul. After agriculture, the power industry is the second largest user of water. In the United States today, 39% of water withdrawals are used for power production, compared with 31% in Europe.

Because open discussion is the path to progress!

This blog fits in with the various consensus initiatives we take throughout the year, and provides even more open space for discussion and debate.

We hope that the Forum will enable us to make further headway in our analyses, provide greater focus for our projects and identify new progress pointers, because despite the advances that have been made, a certain number of issues still remain outstanding… New work sessions with our stakeholders are scheduled after the forum in order to launch a new consensus cycle. Over and above the players present in Istanbul, we hope that this blog will provide an additional area for discussion, recommendations and proposals.