Season 5, Episode 3: Innovation, Data, and the Future of Water Management with Will Sarni
Will Sarni, Practice Lead, Water and Nature at Earth Finance
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Globally recognized water strategist Will Sarni joins host John Sabo to continue the conversation on why the U.S. needs a new National Water Strategy and to discuss what innovation in the water sector actually means. Drawing on decades of experience working across the private sector, finance, and public policy, Will explains why water must be treated as a strategic resource and how industries from agriculture to data centers depend on reliable water supplies. They explore the role of finance in scaling solutions, the difference between incremental and disruptive innovation, and why the future of water management depends not just on more data, but on turning data into actionable information, especially as climate change intensifies water-related risks.
“We need to really think about water as a strategic resource, and how do we manage it accordingly - not just have regulations, but we need a rudder on the ship considering how incredibly important water is.”
Key Topics
Why the U.S. Needs a New National Water Strategy (01:10): Will explains why a 75-year-old framework no longer works in a world of rising demand, aridification, and groundwater depletion, and why the country needs coordinated national direction for managing water.
Water as a Business Risk Across the Economy (04:02): Will explains how industries from agriculture and apparel to semiconductors and data centers depend on reliable water supplies, and why water availability and quality are increasingly a risk to businesses.
The Role of Finance in Water Solutions (07:30): Will discusses why philanthropy alone cannot sustain water infrastructure, conservation, and watershed health, and why financing mechanisms are essential for scaling solutions across sectors.
What Innovation Really Means in the Water Sector (09:00): Will challenges the overuse of the term “innovation,” distinguishing incremental improvements from disruptive change and emphasizing that innovation includes partnerships, financing, and business models - not just technology.
Turning Water Data Into Actionable Information (12:24): Will argues that more data alone won’t solve water challenges, stressing the need to translate real-time data into information people can actually use, from households and farmers to utilities and policymakers.
Water’s Role in Climate Adaptation (25:40): Will notes that climate change disrupts the hydrologic cycle, making precipitation less predictable, and emphasizes the need to adapt water infrastructure to changing conditions.
Links to Relevant Studies and Resources:
Learn more about Will Sarni’s work at Earth Finance
Further Reading:
Corporate Water Strategies by Will Sarni explores how companies assess and manage water risk across operations and supply chains, providing context for the episode’s discussion of water as a business risk and strategic resource.
Profiles of the Future: An Inquiry into the Limits of the Possible by Arthur C. Clarke (1962): Will quotes Clarke’s observation that sufficiently advanced technology should appear indistinguishable from magic while discussing trust, usability, and decision-making in water management and AI systems.
“There are a number of different perspectives on this, which is we need more data and if we only had more data, then life would be good. I have a different view, which is, we need actionable information. ”
Transcript
Coming soon.