World Wildlife Fund - Annual Report 2007 - (Page 50)

A Partnership for Freshwater By Jeff Seabright Freshwater is a finite natural resource under increasing stress. One in three people live in water-scarce regions and 1.1 billion lack adequate access to clean water. More than half of the world’s wetlands, which cleanse water and mitigate flooding, have been lost in the last century, and many of the world’s largest rivers are drying up. Climate change is also expected to significantly affect the quality and availability of freshwater resources, with more intense droughts and more devastating floods. To help address the global freshwater crisis, The Coca-Cola Company has partnered with WWF and expanded our ongoing collaboration on conservation. We have made a groundbreaking pledge to replace every drop of water used in our beverages and their production. To meet this commitment, we will increase water use efficiency, recycle water used in manufacturing, and replenish water in communities and nature. Working with WWF, Coca-Cola will set specific global water use targets by 2008, building upon recent improvements in the company’s water efficiency. Recognizing the impact of climate change on freshwater, we are collaborating with WWF to reduce Coca-Cola’s carbon footprint as well. Coca-Cola also made a $20 million multiyear commitment to conserve seven of the world’s most important river basins: the Yangtze, Mekong, Rio Grande/Rio Bravo and Danube, and the river basins of the Mesoamerican Reef, Southeastern United States, and Lake Malawi. These river basins are WWF conservation priority places. They are also located in some of The Coca-Cola Company’s largest and fastest-growing markets. In the end, we hope to set a lasting standard for how companies operate in a world of scarce natural resources. Treating the planet respectfully – and realistically – is both morally right and commercially sound. We have come together to act on this belief, and we hope others will join us. ■ "WWF has challenged Coca-Cola to be the best environmental stewards we can be. They're holding us to a high standard and that's going to make us a better company." ■ Jeff Seabright, Coca-Cola’s vice president for environment and water, visits with a resident of China’s Quing Ling Nature Preserve during a trip to plan conservation work with WWF in the Yangtze River Basin. 50 worldwildlife.org http://worldwildlife.org

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of World Wildlife Fund - Annual Report 2007

WWF - Annual Report 2007 Contents The Landscapes of People's Lives The President’s Report Africa, Land of the Soul Building Prosperity from Africa’s Natural Wealth A Namibian Odyssey Natural Capital: Putting a Price on Nature Investing in Fish and Fishermen Wildlife in the Balance Africans on the Move WWF Results Across the Globe A Different Kind of Fieldwork A River Dammed Pooling Efforts in the World’s Aquarium More Than Just the Daily Catch All Along the Equator A Partnership for Freshwater Funding and Financial Overview Statement of Activities Ways to Give Staff National Council Board of Directors

World Wildlife Fund - Annual Report 2007

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