According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), global energy consumption will increase by nearly 50 percent by 2035 due to population growth and the ensuing increases in demand from the developing world. They also estimate that in 2010, 583 billion cubic meters of water were used in energy production. Such estimates, along with rising geopolitical problems associated with global water scarcity, have led the World Bank to create theThirsty Energy Initiative. The multinational initiative will foster government and private sector relationships by calculating nations’ (and their respective energy industries’) current and future water resource needs.

The Thirsty Energy Initiative is already working with South Africa, and hopes that Bangladesh, Morocco, and Brazil will join the venture.

Source: ClimateWire, International Energy Agency, the World Bank