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82-521: CDP piggybacked on GRI 's concept of environmental disclosure in 2002, focusing on individual companies rather than on nations. At the time CDP had just 35 investors signing its request for climate information and 245 companies responding. According to the organization, as of 2022, companies worth half of global market capitalization disclose through CDP. CDP works with corporations , cities, states, and regions to help develop carbon emissions reductions strategies. The collection of self-reported data from

164-568: A sustainability report , also known as a corporate social responsibility ( CSR ) or environmental, social, and governance ( ESG ) report. GRI's framework for sustainability reporting helps companies identify, gather, and report this information in a clear and comparable manner. Developed by the Global Sustainability Standards Board (GSSB), the GRI Standards are the first global standards for sustainability reporting and are

246-691: A big impact on water availability. Flooding can worsen water quality. Stronger storms can damage infrastructure, especially in the Global South . There are different ways to deal with water insecurity. Science and engineering approaches can increase the water supply or make water use more efficient. Financial and economic tools can include a safety net to ensure access for poorer people. Management tools such as demand caps can improve water security. They work on strengthening institutions and information flows. They may also improve water quality management, and increase investment in water infrastructure . Improving

328-688: A combination of government and philanthropic grants (44.4%) and a mixture of membership fees, administrative fees, sponsorships and data licensing. In Europe, CDP is around 30% funded by the LIFE programme of the European Commission. Proponents claim that disclosures are helpful for investors, corporations, and regulators in making informed decisions on taking action towards a sustainable economy by measuring and understanding their environmental impact and taking steps to address and limit their risk to climate change, deforestation and water security . In 2010, CDP

410-399: A conflict between countries, states, or groups over the rights to access water resources . The United Nations recognizes that water disputes result from opposing interests of water users, public or private. A wide range of water conflicts appear throughout history, though they are rarely traditional wars waged over water alone. Instead, water has long been a source of tension and one of

492-460: A financial institution can conduct an independent audit of the investee or enter into a dialogue with the top management of a company in question. Independent assurance of sustainability reports may be demanded by stakeholders, and third-party assurance is standard practice for many large and mid-cap companies, though often expensive. Absence of assurance is associated with lower quality and credibility of sustainability reporting. In December 2014,

574-409: A free public good . The GRI Standards have a modular structure, making them easier to update and adapt. Three series of Standards support the reporting process. The GRI Universal Standards apply to all organizations and cover core sustainability issues related to a company’s impact on the economy, society, and the environment. The GRI Sector Standards apply to specific sectors, particularly those with

656-585: A high level of water security always have access to "an acceptable quantity and quality of water for health, livelihoods and production". For example, access to water, sanitation and hygiene services is one part of water security. Some organizations use the term water security more narrowly for water supply aspects only. Decision makers and water managers aim to reach water security goals that address multiple concerns. These outcomes can include increasing economic and social well-being while reducing risks tied to water. There are linkages and trade-offs between

738-624: A major effect on water security as various levels. Geographic variability in water availability, reliability of rainfall and vulnerability to droughts, floods and cyclones are inherent hazards that affect development opportunities. These play out at international to intra-basin scales. At local scales, social vulnerability is a factor that increases the risks to water security, no matter the cause. For example, people affected by poverty may have less ability to cope with climate shocks. There are many factors that contribute to low water security. Some examples are: A major threat to water security

820-739: A number of Data Partners to collect and process information about GRI reporting and sustainability reporting in general and reporting trends in specific countries and regions. This information was added to GRI's Sustainability Disclosure Database. In the United States, the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland the official GRI data partner was the Governance & Accountability Institute. In 2020 GRI decided to discontinue its publicly accessible sustainability disclosure database as of April 2021, due to

902-502: A particular topic area. Examples include Waste, Occupational Health and Safety, Biodiversity, Energy, Diversity and Equal Opportunity. Sustainability reporting aims to standardize and quantify the environmental, social and governance ( ESG ) costs and benefits, derived from the activities of the reporting companies. Examples of ESG reporting include quantified measures of CO 2 emissions , working and payment conditions, and financial transparency. The development of GRI standards

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984-712: A platform for analysis and feedback on the Guidelines, enabling diverse stakeholders to actively engage in their creation and evolution. The initial organizational structure of the GRI was highly efficient and communicated mostly electronically. It consisted of a secretariat, a steering committee, and multiple decentralized working groups. Input from the working groups led to the expansion of GRI's scope from environmental reporting to three categories of sustainability indicators: social performance indicators, economic performance indicators and environmental performance and impacts. The GRI system

1066-467: A population to safeguard sustainable access to adequate quantities of acceptable quality water for sustaining livelihoods, human well-being, and socio-economic development, for ensuring protection against water-borne pollution and water-related disasters , and for preserving ecosystems in a climate of peace and political stability." World Resources Institute also gave a similar definition in 2020. "For purposes of this report, we define water security as

1148-425: A range of theories, models and technologies to understand the trade-offs that exist in responding to risk. Water conflict typically refers to violence or disputes associated with access to, or control of, water resources, or the use of water or water systems as weapons or casualties of conflicts. The term water war is colloquially used in media for some disputes over water, and often is more limited to describing

1230-544: A standardized method which measures whether and how well a company responds to each question. A company goes through four main steps, starting with disclosure of their current position, moving to awareness which looks at whether a company is conscious of its environmental impact, to management, and finally leadership. A high CDP score is supposed to be indicative of a company's environmental awareness, advanced sustainability governance and leadership to address climate change. CDP includes three separate legal entities registered in

1312-439: A well managed risk of water-related disasters". The World Water Council also uses this more specific approach with a focus on water supply. "Water security refers to the availability of water, in adequate quantity and quality, to sustain all these needs together (social and economic sectors, as well as the larger needs of the planet's ecosystems) – without exceeding its ability to renew." WASH (water, sanitation and hygiene)

1394-489: A wide variety of individuals and organizations. UN Secretary General Kofi Annan described it as having a "unique contribution to make in fostering transparency and accountability of corporate activities beyond financial matters". A key factor in GRI’s success has been its global multi-stakeholder network, which grew from about 200 organizations and individuals in early 2000 to over 2000 members by early 2002. The network provided

1476-437: Is water scarcity . About 27% of the world's population lived in areas affected by water scarcity in the mid-2010s. This number will likely increase to 42% by 2050. Water scarcity (closely related to water stress or water crisis) is the lack of fresh water resources to meet the standard water demand. There are two types of water scarcity. One is physical. The other is economic water scarcity . Physical water scarcity

1558-527: Is a nonprofit dedicated to understanding and managing water risk in China. The World Wildlife Fund has a Water Risk Filter that helps companies assess and respond to water risk with scenarios for 2030 and 2050. Understanding risk is part of water security policy. But it is also important to take social equity considerations more into account. There is no wholly accepted theory or mathematical model for determining or managing water risk. Instead, managers use

1640-564: Is a statistical link between increased changes in rainfall patterns and lower per capita incomes. Relative levels of economic development and equality or inequality are strong determinants of community and household scale water security. Whilst the poverty and hydrology hypothesis suggests that there is a link between poverty and difficult hydrologies, there are many examples of "difficult hydrologies" that have not (yet) resulted in poverty and water insecurity. Social and economic inequalities are strong drivers of water insecurity, especially at

1722-877: Is a threat to water security. It can affect the supply of drinking water and indirectly contribute to water scarcity. Weather and its related shocks can affect water quality in several ways. These depend on the local climate and context. Shocks that are linked to weather include water shortages, heavy rain and temperature extremes. They can damage water infrastructure through erosion under heavy rainfall and floods, cause loss of water sources in droughts, and make water quality deteriorate. Climate change can reduce lower water quality in several ways: People in low-income countries are at greater risk of water insecurity and may also have less resources to mitigate it. This can result in human suffering, sustained poverty, constrained growth and social unrest. Food and water insecurity pose significant challenges for numerous individuals across

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1804-487: Is about using water to increase economic and social welfare, move towards long-term sustainability or reduce risks tied to water. Decision makers and water managers must consider the linkages and trade-offs between the varied types of outcomes. Improving water security is a key factor to achieve growth, development that is sustainable and reduce poverty. Water security is also about social justice and fair distribution of environmental benefits and harms. Development that

1886-418: Is also growing competition for water. This reduces the availability of water resources in many areas in the world. Water security incorporates ideas and concepts to do with the sustainability , integration and adaptiveness of water resource management . In the past, experts used terms such as integrated water resources management (IWRM) or sustainable water management for this. Water risk refers to

1968-415: Is an important concept when in discussions of water security. Access to WASH services is one part of achieving water security. The relationship works both ways. To be sustainable, WASH services need to address water security issues. For example WASH relies on water resources that are part of the water cycle . But climate change has many impacts on the water cycle which can threaten water security. There

2050-594: Is an investor-led initiative which shows how companies in investment portfolios are managing carbon emissions and energy efficiency . Over 300 investors with US$ 25 trillion in assets under management ask the world's highest emitting companies to take three specific actions in response to climate change: CDP launched a new research series at the beginning of 2015, taking a sector by sector approach. CDP recognizes companies with high-quality disclosure in its annual scoring process, with top companies making it onto CDP's so-called A-list. Scores are calculated according to

2132-598: Is becoming more aware of the potential impacts of water risk and the need for its proper management. By 2025, water risk will threaten $ 145 trillion in assets under management. To control water risk, companies can develop water risk management plans. Stakeholders within financial markets can use these plans to measure company environmental, social and governance (ESG) performance. They can then identify leaders in water risk management. The World Resources Institute has developed an online water data platform named Aqueduct for risk assessment and water management. China Water Risk

2214-455: Is difficult to predict the effects of climate change on national and local levels. Water security will be affected by sea level rise in low lying coastal areas while populations dependent on snowmelt as their water source will be affected by the recession of glaciers and mountain snow. Future climate change must be viewed in context of other existing challenges for water security. Other challenges existing climate variability in areas closer to

2296-464: Is distributed throughout the year and perennial river flows sustained by groundwater base flows. For example, many of the world's industrialized nations have a hydrologic environment that they can manage quite easily. This has helped them achieve water security early in their development. A difficult to manage hydrologic environment is one with absolute water scarcity such as deserts or low-lying lands prone to severe flood risk. Regions where rainfall

2378-577: Is enormous since over 56% of the world's population now live in cities. CDP Cities provides a global platform based upon a simple questionnaire that allows city governments to disclose their greenhouse gas emission data publicly. One of the greatest values of the annual report, first released in June ;2011, is to city leaders who can identify peers who are addressing similar risks and issues with new and innovative strategies for reducing carbon emissions and for mitigating risk from climate change. Carbon Action

2460-420: Is fraught with hazards largely faced by women and girls. There is strong evidence that improving access to water and sanitation is a good way of addressing such inequalities. Impacts of climate change that are tied to water, affect people's water security on a daily basis. They include more frequent and intense heavy precipitation which affects the frequency, size and timing of floods. Also droughts can alter

2542-423: Is not a coincidence. The poverty and hydrology hypothesis states that regions with a difficult hydrology remain poor because the respective governments have not been able to make the large investments necessary to achieve water security. Examples of such regions would be those with rainfall variability within one year and across several years. This leads to water insecurity which constrains economic growth. There

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2624-408: Is sustainable can help reduce poverty and increase living standards. This is most likely to benefit those affected by the impacts of insecure water resources in the region, especially women and children. Water security is important for attaining most of the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This is because access to adequate and safe water is a precondition for meeting many of

2706-459: Is very variable from one season to the next, or regions where rainfall varies a lot from one year to the next are also likely to face water security challenges. The term for this is high inter-annual climate variability. An example would be East Africa, where there have been prolonged droughts every two to three years since 1999. Most of the world's developing countries have challenges in managing hydrologies and have not achieved water security. This

2788-632: Is where there is not enough water to meet all demands. This includes water needed for ecosystems to function. Regions with a desert climate often face physical water scarcity. Central Asia , West Asia , and North Africa are examples of arid areas. Economic water scarcity results from a lack of investment in infrastructure or technology to draw water from rivers, aquifers , or other water sources. It also results from weak human capacity to meet water demand. Many people in Sub-Saharan Africa are living with economic water scarcity. Water pollution

2870-754: The European Commission , on behalf of the European Union , adopted the Non-Financial Reporting Directive (NFRD) obliging large multinational corporations to provide non-financial disclosure to the markets. The law applies to public companies with more than 500 employees. Companies that would provide such a reporting would be required to report on environmental, social and employee-related, human rights, anti-corruption and bribery matters. Additionally, these large corporations would be required to describe their business model, outcomes and risks of

2952-503: The Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) illustrate two major approaches to materiality, with differences that may cause confusion in interpreting information about “material sustainability issues”. The "GRI" refers to the global network of thousands of participants worldwide who create the reporting framework, use it in disclosing their sustainability performance, demand its use by organizations as

3034-737: The climate resilience of water and hygiene services is important. These efforts help to reduce poverty and achieve sustainable development . There is no single method to measure water security. Metrics of water security roughly fall into two groups. This includes those that are based on experiences versus metrics that are based on resources. The former mainly focus on measuring the water experiences of households and human well-being. The latter tend to focus on freshwater stores or water resources security . The IPCC Sixth Assessment Report found that increasing weather and climate extreme events have exposed millions of people to acute food insecurity and reduced water security. Scientists have observed

3116-489: The "absolute level of water resource availability". But it also refers to how much it varies in time and location. I nter-annual means from one year to the next, I ntra-annual means from one season to the next. It is possible to refer to location as spatial distribution . Scholars distinguish between a hydrologic environment that is easy to manage and one that is difficult. An easy to manage hydrologic environment would be one with low rainfall variability. In this case rain

3198-749: The 26 October 2022 KPMG Survey of Sustainability Reporting, 78% of the world’s biggest 250 companies by revenue (the G250) and 68% of the top 100 businesses in 58 countries (5,800 companies known as the N100) have adopted the GRI Standards for reporting. GRI is used as a reporting standard by a majority of the companies surveyed in all regions. GRI thus provides the world's most widely used sustainability reporting standards. Under increasing pressure from different stakeholder groups, such as governments, consumers and investors, to be more transparent about their environmental, economic, and social impacts, many companies publish

3280-753: The Dutch government. By April 2002, GRI had decided to settle in Amsterdam , Netherlands where it subsequently incorporated as a non-profit organization and a Collaborating Centre of the United Nations Environment Programme. It had an initial staff of 12 people. Although the GRI is independent, it remains a collaborating center of UNEP and works in cooperation with the United Nations Global Compact . GRI has managed to mobilize extensive contributions of time, knowledge and funding from

3362-504: The GRI ESG assessment and reporting were developed based on principles set in OECD guidelines for Multinational corporations and UN Guiding Principles . The Global Reporting Initiative is one example of a transformative shift in accountability systems to one based on a network of actors, observation of global public concerns, new problem framing and an ideological shift. Initially GRI worked with

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3444-638: The GRI's multi-stakeholder focused sustainability reporting standards. As of 6 June 2023, the ISSB issued its inaugural standards (IFRS S1 and IFRS S2) for sustainability-related disclosures in capital markets. Water security The aim of water security is to make the most of water's benefits for humans and ecosystems. The second aim is to limit the risks of destructive impacts of water to an acceptable level. These risks include for example too much water (flood), too little water (drought and water scarcity ) or poor quality ( polluted ) water. People who live with

3526-476: The GRI, supporting the network, is made up of the following governance bodies: board of directors, stakeholder council, technical advisory committee, organizational stakeholders, and a secretariat. Diverse geographic and sector constituencies are represented in these governance bodies. The GRI framework aims to enable third parties to assess environmental impact from the activities of the company and its supply chain. The most recent of GRI's reporting frameworks are

3608-522: The Guidelines through their continuous enhancement and dissemination (GRI 2000 Guidelines).” Engineering consultancy DHV (now Royal HaskoningDHV ) expressed a strong interest in the initiative following the publication of the draft guidelines, translating them into Dutch and holding its first seminar on disclosing and reporting on 7 December 1999. Influential figures in the Dutch adoption of GRI include Nancy Kamp-Roelands, Johan Piet and Piet Sprengers. DHV approached then-CEO Allen White and set up meetings with

3690-611: The International Labour Organization (ILO) Tripartite Declarations. Sustainability reporting requirements for companies were further expanded in the EU's Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) which took effect on 5 January 2023. GRI was actively involved in the development of the European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS) which were submitted to the European Commission by

3772-705: The Sustainability Reporting Board (SRB) of the European Financial Reporting Advisory (EFRAG) as a step towards implementation of the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD). GRI worked for interoperability between GRI's global Standards, which focus on impact materiality, and the ESRS' focus on double materiality. Double materiality requires public reporting of both sustainability factors affecting

3854-858: The US-based Fair Trade Foundation. The initiative soon gained support from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). GRI released an "exposure draft" version of the Sustainability Reporting Guidelines in 1999, and the first full version in June 2000. Work immediately began on a second version which was released at the World Summit for Sustainable Development in Johannesburg in August 2002—where

3936-579: The United Kingdom, Belgium and the United States of America. In the United Kingdom, CDP Worldwide is a charity registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales. CDP Europe is a registered charity in Brussels, Belgium and Berlin, Germany. CDP North America, Inc is an independent 501(c)(3) entity based in New York City. The three entities have independent trustee boards. CDP's funding comes from

4018-410: The United States. Strategies employed by households in response to these pressing issues encompass labor intensive methods, such as melting ice, earning wages, and occasionally incurring debt, all aimed at water conservation. Additionally, families may turn to foraging for water-based plants and animals, seeking alternative sources of sustenance. Adjusting consumption patterns becomes imperative, involving

4100-568: The absence of water scarcity . It differs from the concepts of food security and energy security . Whereas those concepts cover reliable access to food or energy, water security covers not only the absence of water but also its presence when there is too much of it. One definition of water security is "the reliable availability of an acceptable quantity and quality of water for health, livelihoods and production, coupled with an acceptable level of water-related risks ". A similar definition of water security by UN-Water is: "the capacity of

4182-440: The adoption of GRI Standards is that compliance is voluntary. Outcomes depend on the quality and type of information reported. Further, firms may selectively disclose sustainability information. Research suggests that resources for sustainability reporting may be insufficient and staff undertrained in many companies. GRI attempts to address this by providing training. In order to circumvent " greenwashing " or falsified reporting,

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4264-432: The basis for information disclosure, or are actively engaged in improving the standard. Examples of good sustainability reporting practices include digitalization of supply-chain management, stakeholder relation mechanisms, and communication strategies that encourage conjoint two-way sense making and sense giving. The governance structure for the permanent institution was approved on June 21, 2002. The institutional side of

4346-459: The capacity of a population to Some organizations use water security in a more specific sense to refer to water supply only. They do not consider the water-related risks of too much water . For example, the definition of WaterAid in 2012 focuses on water supply issues. They defined water security as "reliable access to water of sufficient quantity and quality for basic human needs, small-scale livelihoods and local ecosystem services, coupled with

4428-457: The causes for conflicts. Water conflicts arise for several reasons, including territorial disputes, a fight for resources, and strategic advantage. There are three groups of water security outcomes. These include economic, environmental and equity (or social) outcomes. Outcomes are things that happen or people would want to see happen as a result of policy and management: There are four major focus areas for water security and its outcomes. It

4510-462: The challenging decision of abandoning specific family members. This is achieved through withholding resources from non-family members, prioritizing the health of some family members over others, and, in extreme cases, leaving individuals behind. As the climate changes, the impact of food and water insecurity is disproportionately felt, necessitating a re-evaluation of societal misconceptions about those making survival sacrifices. Larger entities, including

4592-412: The community and household scales. Gender, race and caste inequalities have all been linked to differential access to water services such as drinking water and sanitation. In particular women and girls frequently have less access to economic and social opportunities as a directly consequence of being primarily responsible for meeting household water needs. The entire journey from water source to point of use

4674-518: The companies is supported by over 800 institutional investors with about US$ 100 trillion in assets. CDP's climate change program aims to reduce companies' greenhouse gas emissions and mitigate climate change risk. CDP requests information on climate risks and low carbon opportunities from the world's largest companies on behalf of over 800 institutional investor signatories with a combined US$ 100 trillion in assets. The program motivates companies to disclose and reduce their environmental impacts by using

4756-472: The different outcomes. Planners often consider water security effects for varied groups when they design climate change reduction strategies. Three main factors determine how difficult or easy it is for a society to sustain its water security. These include the hydrologic environment, the socio-economic environment, and future changes due to the effects of climate change . Decision makers may assess water security risks at varied levels. These range from

4838-433: The equator, population growth and increased demand for water resources. Others include political challenges, increased disaster exposure due to settlement in hazard-prone areas, and environmental degradation. Water demand for irrigation in agriculture will increase due to climate change. This is because evaporation rates and the rate of water loss from crops will be higher due to rising temperatures. Climate factors have

4920-598: The financial materiality of the company and its outward materiality (how the company affects society and the environment). As of 24 March 2022, GRI and the International Financial Reporting Standards Foundation (IFRS) announced that they would collaborate to align the International Sustainability Standards Board (“ISSB”)'s investor-focused Sustainability Disclosures Standards for the capital markets with

5002-402: The food and beverage sector, agriculture, oil and gas and utilities. Agriculture uses 69% of total freshwater in the world. So this industry is very vulnerable to water stress. Risk is a combination of hazard, exposure and vulnerability. Examples of hazards are droughts, floods and decline in quality. Bad infrastructure and bad governance lead to high exposure to risk. The financial sector

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5084-674: The four agricultural commodities responsible for most deforestation: timber , palm oil , cattle and soy . CDP's forests program was first set up by the UK Government's Department for International Development via the Global Canopy Programme and the JMG Foundation. CDP Cities provides a platform for cities to measure, manage and disclose their environmental data. More than 500 cities are now measuring and disclosing environmental data annually. The potential and need for this program

5166-599: The government and various organizations, extend assistance based on available resources, highlighting the importance of addressing information gaps in specific data. Water can cause large-scale destruction due to its huge power. This destruction can result from sudden events. Examples are tsunamis , floods or landslides . Events that happen slowly over time such as erosion , desertification or water pollution can also cause destruction. Other threats to water security include: There are different ways to tackle water insecurity. Science and engineering approaches can increase

5248-686: The highest environmental impact, such as fossil fuels . The GRI Topic Standards list disclosures relevant to a particular topic area. GRI Standards and reporting criteria are reviewed every three years by the Global Sustainability Standards Board (GSSB), an independent body created by GRI. The most recent of GRI's reporting frameworks are the revised Universal Standards, which were published in October 2021, and came into effect for reporting in January 2023. The Global Reporting Initiative

5330-534: The household to community, city, basin, country and region. The opposite of water security is water insecurity . Water insecurity is a growing threat to societies. The main factors contributing to water insecurity are water scarcity , water pollution and low water quality due to climate change impacts. Others include poverty , destructive forces of water, and disasters that stem from natural hazards . Climate change affects water security in many ways. Changing rainfall patterns, including droughts, can have

5412-437: The individual goals. It is also important for attaining development that is resilient to climate change. Planners take note of water security outcomes for various groups in society when they design strategies for climate change adaptation. Three main factors determine the ability of a society to sustain water security: The hydrologic environment is important for water security. The term hydrologic environment refers to

5494-510: The largest impacts in Africa, Asia, Central and South America, Small Islands and the Arctic.  The report predicted that global warming of 2 °C would expose roughly 1-4 billion people to water stress. It finds 1.5-2.5 billion people live in areas exposed to water scarcity. There are various definitions for the term water security . It emerged as a concept in the 21st century. It is broader than

5576-603: The organization and the guidelines were also referred to in the Plan of Implementation signed by all attending member states. As early as 2001, GRI expressed its intention to institutionalize the organization with a headquarters in Europe. In April 2002, GRI was inaugurated as an independent organization in a ceremony hosted at the UN headquarters in New York. Its mission was to provide “stewardship of

5658-559: The overhead of maintaining the collection. The publicly available database had over 63,000 reports spanning nearly 20 years from hundreds of companies. It is still possible to register GRI Standards-based reports and other published materials through the GRI Standards Report Registration System. Under Requirement 9 of GRI 1: Foundation 2021, notifying GRI of the use of the GRI standards is a mandatory step in reporting for associated organizations. Responsibility for

5740-548: The policies on the above topics, and the diversity policy applied for management and supervisory bodies. The reporting techniques were encouraged to rely on recognized frameworks such as GRI's Sustainability Reporting Guidelines, the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC), the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights , OECD Guidelines , International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 26000 and

5822-616: The possibility of problems to do with water. Examples are water scarcity, water stress, flooding, infrastructure decay and drought. There exists an inverse relationship between water risk and water security. This means as water risk increases, water security decreases. Water risk is complex and multilayered. It includes risks flooding and drought. These can lead to infrastructure failure and worsen hunger. When these disasters take place, they result in water scarcity or other problems. The potential economic effects of water risk are important to note. Water risks threaten entire industries. Examples are

5904-578: The power of investors and companies. In 2016, some 90 organizations, representing over US$ 2.5 trillion of purchasing power, requested that their suppliers disclose information on how they are approaching climate and water risks and opportunities. Data was gathered from over 4,000 suppliers worldwide, who reported over US$ 12 billion worth of savings from emission reduction activities. CDP's forests program has over 290 signatory investors in its network, which collectively represent about US$ 19 trillion in combined assets. CDP collects information about

5986-476: The quality and verification of such reports is the responsibility of the reporting organization and its stakeholders. While GRI no longer provides examples of reports, the reports of many organizations are available from company websites. Under the 2021 guidelines, which are required for reporting as of January 2023, organizations may report either "in accordance" with GRI (more stringent) or "in reference" to GRI. Both options involve notification. A key issue in

6068-560: The rationing of servings and prioritizing nutritional value, particularly for vulnerable members like small children. The phenomenon of substituting more expensive, nutritious food with cheaper alternatives is also observed. Furthermore, individuals may consume from sources considered "stigmatized" by society, such as urine or unfiltered water. Migration emerges as a viable option, with families fostering children to relatives outside famine zones and engaging in seasonal or permanent resettlement. In certain instances, resource preservation involves

6150-525: The revised Universal Standards, which were published in October 2021, and came into effect for reporting in January 2023. The GRI Universal Standards apply to all organizations and cover core sustainability issues related to a company’s impact on the economy, society, and the environment. The GRI Sector Standards apply to specific sectors, particularly those with the highest environmental impact, such as Oil and Gas, Coal, and Agriculture, Aquaculture and Fishing. The GRI Topic Standards list disclosures relevant to

6232-510: The total amount of freshwater and cause a decline in groundwater storage, and reduction in groundwater recharge . Reduction in water quality due to extreme events can also occur. Faster melting of glaciers can also occur. Global climate change will probably make it more complex and expensive to ensure water security. It creates new threats and adaptation challenges . This is because climate change leads to increased hydrological variability and extremes. Climate change has many impacts on

6314-468: The water cycle . These result in higher climatic and hydrological variability, which can threaten water security. Changes in the water cycle threaten existing and future water infrastructure. It will be harder to plan investments for future water infrastructure as there are so many uncertainties about future variability for the water cycle. This makes societies more exposed to risks of extreme events linked to water and therefore reduces water security. It

6396-542: The water supply or make water use more efficient. Financial and economic tools can be used as a safety net for poorer people. Higher prices may encourage more investments in water systems. Finally, management tools such as demand caps can improve water security. Decision makers invest in institutions, information flows and infrastructure to achieve a high level of water security. The right institutions are important to improve water security. Institutions govern how decisions can promote or constrain water security outcomes for

6478-965: Was called "The most powerful green NGO you've never heard of" by the Harvard Business Review. In 2012 it won the Zayed Future Energy Prize. Global Reporting Initiative The Global Reporting Initiative (known as GRI ) is an international independent standards organization that helps businesses, governments, and other organizations understand and communicate their impacts on issues such as climate change , human rights, and corruption. Since its first draft guidelines were published in March 1999, GRI's voluntary sustainability reporting framework has been adopted by multinational organizations, governments, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), NGOs , and industry groups. Over 10,000 companies from more than 100 countries use GRI. According to

6560-469: Was created with the goals of standardizing practices for non-financial reporting, and empowering stakeholders at all levels with "access to standardized, comparable, and consistent environmental information akin to corporate financial reporting." The process of aligning and standardizing practices has continued through multiple versions, with some debate over definitions of materiality to be used in sustainability reporting and their implicatioins. The GRI and

6642-621: Was developed in 1997 by the United States–based non-profits Ceres (formerly the Coalition for Environmentally Responsible Economies) and consulting agency Tellus Institute . Key individuals were Ceres President Bob Massie and Allen L. White of Tellus. Other influential thinkers who were board members of Ceres included Joan Bavaria of the Social Investment Forum (SIF), Alica Gravitz of Co-op America and Paul Freundlich of

6724-672: Was influenced by policies in the fields of international labor practices and environmental impact, which it, in turn has influenced. ISO 14010, ISO 14011, ISO 14012 and ISO 26000 set out a standard for assessing the environmental impact, while OHSAS 18001 laid down a health and safety risk management system. The International Labour Organization (ILO)'s eight core conventions outline specific groups or population that require special attention: women, children, migrant workers and their families, persons belonging to national or ethnic, linguistic, and religious minorities, indigenous peoples, and persons with disabilities. The reporting standards set by

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