Environmental and Developmental Risks and Stressors Impacting a 2050 Vision

A vision of what our water resources and environment may look like in the year 2050 must consider the increasing risks and stressors facing our planet. Recent papers, reports and books are used as the source and basis for identifying the range of future challenges facing the world's water resources and environment. They reflect domestic and international views from people in government, academia, institutions, and private practice. The issues have been distilled down into the following major issues/topics: (1) Aging infrastructure; (2) Population growth and demographic shifts; (3) Public health; (4) Economic development; (5) Energy use and production; (6) Climate change; (7) Sustainability; (8) Pollution of our environment; (9) Security; and (10) Institutional issues such as public participation, regulations, environmental justice and utility governance. Each of these topics is assessed in terms of their potential impacts on future water resources and environment and the challenges we will face over the next 40 years in fulfilling a shared vision of the environment and water resources in the year 2050.