Planet Water
Investing in the World's Most Valuable Resource
Published on 31. March 2009
304 pages
978-0-470-47373-3 (ISBN)
Description
Solving the world's water problems is proving to be one of thegreatest investment opportunities of our time. Already, world watersupplies are inadequate to meet demand, and the problem is going toget much worse in the years ahead. The World Bank estimates that1.1 billion people lack access to safe drinking water and about 50percent of the world's hospital beds are populated by people whohave contracted water-borne diseases. If present consumption ratescontinue, in 25 years the world will be using 90 percent of allavailable freshwater. To address the problem, trillions of dollarswill need to be invested in water infrastructure projects. Andwhile the problems are most acute in developing and rapidly growingeconomies, there are huge water infrastructure needs inindustrialized countries, as well. In the U.S. alone, it'sestimated that more than $1 trillion will be needed for water andwastewater infrastructure projects. In Planet Water, waterinvestment expert Steven Hoffmann explains the dynamics driving thewater crisis and identifies investment opportunities in varioussectors of the water industry. Hoffman provides investors with theknowledge and insights they need to make informed investments inwater utilities, as well as companies providing water treatmentservices; infrastructure services; water monitoring and analytics;and desalination services. He also discusses mutual funds and ETFsthat specialize in water stocks. Investing in the water industry iscertainly no pie-in-the-sky idea. Over the past five years, manywater stocks have exploded in value and water stocks as a wholehave outperformed the S&P 500 by a substantial amount. InPlanet Water, Hoffmann provides investors with everything they needto profit from this fast-growing industry in the years ahead.
Reviews / Votes
Named a top investment book of the year by the Stock Trader'sAlmanac 2010. "The book. . . might well guide some very satisfactoryinvestments. . . Mr. Hoffmann does an able job of laying out thebasics of water scarcity and delivery, and he presents a persuasivecase for water's looming importance, rivaling oil as the mostimportant commodity this century. . . A strong current of theinvesting advice in "Planet Water" is Mr. Hoffmann's contentionthat water utilities will move toward privatization and away fromgovernment management. Private management will make companiesconcentrate on core competencies to keep efficiencies high; thosecompanies are the ones for investors to pursue."--Wall StreetJournal, 5/27/2009More details
Other editions
Additional editions
Book
04/2009
1st Edition
Wiley
€42.00
Shipment within 10-20 days
Person
Steve Hoffmann is the founder of WaterTech Capital, a private investment company that specializes exclusively in consulting and investment opportunities within the water industry. With over twenty-five years of experience in the water industry--as a water rate designer, resource economist, entrepreneur, and investor--Hoffmann has witnessed firsthand the dramatic transition of the water business. He was one of the earliest financiers to recognize the potential of water as an investment theme, and has been a contributing editor to the Water Investment Newsletter for more than fourteen years. Hoffmann is also cofounder and principal architect of the Palisades Water Indexes, which serve as the tracking indexes for several leading water ETFs.
Content
Part I. Water.
Chapter 1. Water: Prerequisite for Life, and Living.
Prerequisite for Life.
Prerequisite for Living.
Chapter 2. The Global Water Condition.
The Human Cost of Waterborne Disease.
Supply and Demand.
Regional Fundamentals.
Water Institutions.
Overview of Water Reguation in the United States.
Global Water Regulations.
Non-Governmental Organizations.
The Institutional Impact on Water Investing.
The Role of Water in Economic Growth.
Chapter 3. Public Good, Commodity or Resource?
What Is Water?
Water as a Public (Social) Good.
Water as a Commodity.
The Answer: Water as a Resource.
Chapter 4. The Cost of Clean Water.
How Big Is the Universe?
The Global Cost of Clean Water.
From the Whole to the Parts.
The Transition from Cost to Price.
Part II. Investing in Water.
Chapter 5. The Business of Water.
Water versus Wastewater.
Functional Categories.
Water-Related Applications.
Drivers of the Water Industry.
Chapter 6. Water Utilities.
A Brief History.
Regulatory Providers Face Regulatory Burdens.
Non-Regulated Activities.
The Future of Water Utilities.
Foreign Water Utilities.
Conclusions.
Chapter 7. Centralized Water and WastewaterTreatment.
The Basics.
Centralized Treatment.
Treatment Chemicals.
Mixed Oxidants.
Carbon.
Resins: Ion Exchange.
Chapter 8. Decentralized Water and WastewaterTreatment.
Decentralized Treatment.
The Roots of Decentralized Treatment.
Water Softeners and Salinity.
Groundwater Treatment.
Membrane Bioreactors: The Future of Decentralized Treatment.
Chapter 9. Water Infrastructure.
The Distribution System.
Stormwater Infrastructure.
Investment Components.
Pipeline Rehabilitation.
Flow Control and Pumps.
Chapter 10. Water Analytics.
Metering.
Monitoring, Measuring, and Testing
Asset Management
Chapter 11. Water Resource Management.
Water Resource Management Defined.
The Principle of Sustainability.
Remediation.
Water Supply: Reservoirs and Dams.
Irrigation.
Chapter 12. Desalination.
The Promise of Desalination.
The Process of Desalination.
Part III. Water Beyond the 21st Century.
Chapter 13. Emerging Issues.
Unregulated Contaminants.
Biosolids Management: There's Money in Sludge.
Biotechnology.
Regulation.
Regulating Nonpoint Sources of Water Contamination.
Water Reuse.
Water Conservation.
Nanotechnology.
Algal Toxins.
Measuring Chlorophyll-a.
Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products.
Chapter 14. Water As An Asset Class.
Is Water an Asset Class?
What Is An Asset Class?
Chapter 15. Climate Change and the Hydrologic(Re)Cycle.
Planning for Uncertainty.
Impacts on Water Quality.
Occurrence of Drought.
Investing in Drought.
Chapter 16. Conclusion.
The Windfall Profits Tax...On Water.
The Age of Ecology, Again.
Is Water The Next Oil?
Appendix A. Water Contaminants.
Microbial Contaminant Candidates.
Chemical Contaminant Candidates or CCL3 Candidates.
Appendix B. Acronyms.
Appendix C. Conversions.
Notes.
About the Author.
Index.
