Water Pact assesses economic impacts of water stress in Portugal

• Identifying and proposing public policy measures capable of responding to the impacts of water scarcity in Portugal is one of the objectives of the study, which will be presented in the 1st quarter of 2024.
• The Pact for Water Management, a collaboration platform where various industries, management and regulatory entities, and academia are represented, will study the economic value of water in Portugal, focusing on the theme of scarcity and public policies.
• Presenting in a clear and synthetic way the main problems generated by water scarcity in Portugal and identifying the most relevant public policy measures to respond to these problems, prioritized based on feasibility and cost-effectiveness criteria are the main objectives of the study.

The Pact for Water Management, a collaboration platform where various industries, management and regulatory entities, and academia are represented, will study the economic value of water in Portugal, focusing on the theme of scarcity and public policies.

Identifying and proposing public policy measures capable of responding to the impacts of water scarcity in Portugal is one of the objectives of the study, which will be presented in the 1st quarter of 2024. The study, presented and approved by the General Assembly of Members, will be coordinated by Professor Miguel Gouveia from Católica Lisbon School of Business and Economics and should be presented in the 1st quarter of 2024.

Present in a clear and concise way the main problems generated by water scarcity in Portugal and identify the most relevant public policy measures to

responding to these problems, prioritized based on feasibility and cost-benefit criteria are the main objectives of the study.

With the worsening of water scarcity in the national territory in recent years, and with significant percentages of the continental territory in extreme drought, not only in the summer months, the members of the Pact consider it of great urgency to define and implement measures that allow preventing the escalation of the impacts of water stress, which are increasingly encompassing in terms of public health, economic development and the well-being of populations.

“The purpose of the study is not to carry out research to expand knowledge but to prepare a “Policy Brief” that facilitates the understanding of the present and future situation of water scarcity in Portugal. For example, in the face of water scarcity, we will need public policies that increase supply, but do we know the cost and benefit of these policies? This is where we intend to make our contribution, hoping that it will be useful to support the decision-making of the various actors, public and private”, says Miguel Gouveia, Professor at CATÓLICA-LISBON who will conduct the study.

“Portugal faces a crucial challenge – water is essential to our survival and constitutes an essential resource for sustainable economic development. Recognizing the true economic value of water is imperative to ensure the responsible and efficient management of water resources and, thus, benefit all activities related to them, directly or indirectly”, argues Artur Santos Silva, President of the Advisory Board of the Water Management Pact.

“When we decided at the Center to challenge companies and other organizations to this Pact, we did so with the clear awareness that this initiative could add value to finding solutions to this huge, and increasingly anguishing, national challenge. I have no doubt that this study is one more step in that direction”, says Nuno Moreira da Cruz, Executive Director of the Center for Responsible Business and Leadership at CATÓLICA-LISBON, the entity that manages the Water Management Pact.

In April 2021, the Center for Responsible Business & Leadership at CATÓLICA-LISBON, in partnership with 14 companies and national entities, founded the Pact for Water Management. This Pact aims to contribute to awareness, knowledge, and dissemination of good practices to make resource management more efficient and prevent risks associated with water management.

This platform includes CATÓLICA-LISBON, Grupo Esporão, Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian, Jerónimo Martins, L’Oréal Portugal, Microsoft, Pestana Hotel Group, Scubic, Sugal Group, Super Bock Group, Tintex Textiles, Veolia and even the BGI and Beta-i accelerators.

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