Beyond oil and data: Why water will dictate political and economic landscapes of the next century

Khaleej Times

5 hours ago

Water is fast becoming the defining commodity of the 21st century. Not oil, not data, but water. As we look ahead, this basic element that is essential for life, agriculture, and industry is on course to surpass more commonly regarded natural resources in its globally strategic importance and economic value.
Demand for water is rising at an unprecedented pace. From rising urban populations to the water-intensive requirements of AI data centres, semiconductor manufacturing, and green hydrogen production, the pressure on global freshwater supplies is accelerating. What was once considered a freely accessible resource is increasingly subject to scarcity, speculation, and geopolitical risk.
The UAE's growing global role
At the same time, the UAE is fast becoming a global leader on water solutions through major investments in rainwater harvesting, innovative reuse of water and advanced desalination. A key example is Taweelah in Abu Dhabi — the world's largest reverse-osmosis desalination plant, which can add 900,000 cubic metres of water per day to meet the needs of one million people.
The UAE has also stepped up as a water solutions leader beyond its borders, pioneering energy-for-water deals with trade partners such as China, Jordan and Israel. As a quid-pro-quo arrangement where energy assets or support are exchanged for water assets and or services, this form of trade often compliments carbon-rich nations with an opportunity to shore up their water security, while providing energy to water-rich countries in return. On the international stage, the UAE already made significant inroads into recognising water's vital status. At COP28, it led a landmark agreement that explicitly recognised the critical role of water in climate adaptation. Backed by $150 million endowment via the Mohamed Bin Zayed Water Initiative, the UAE is also championing breakthrough technologies, while preparing to host the pivotal 2026 UN Water Conference.
As we escalate our efforts to mitigate the effects of water scarcity upon our security, the time has come for all countries to reimagine water in the same light as other commodities - a highly strategic asset, integral to driving global sustainability and climate solutions.
A transparent, neutral, and legally sound water market
Nearly half the global population experienced water scarcity last year, a phenomenon that increasingly mirrors patterns of geopolitical tension. We see this vividly in the Nile Basin, where competing claims between Egypt, Ethiopia, and Sudan have escalated into diplomatic standoffs. Similar strains are present along the Colorado River in North America and in the Mekong Delta of Southeast Asia, and just recently between Pakistan and India.
As with energy, water is becoming politicised, but unlike oil or gas, we don't yet have mature markets to manage and mitigate these tensions. The absence of common trading frameworks, transparent pricing mechanisms, or enforceable governance structures leaves water vulnerable to fragmentation and conflict. While oil fields around the world are heavily guarded, the world's most vital resource is left exposed, undervalued, and unprotected. Without a clear price signal, water is treated as an unlimited resource, leading to waste, mismanagement, and inequitable access, discouraging innovation in conservation while failing to attract private sector financing.
This is where global trade and logistics have a critical role to play – not by commodifying water for the sake of profit, but in bringing structure, neutrality, and transparency to its allocation. By recognising that water is an asset class with a tangible economic value, we can turn it into collateral for financial instruments to unlock much-needed capital for sustainable water infrastructure, storage, conservation and innovation. However, financial infrastructure is only one part of the solution. Physical infrastructure, particularly logistics, is equally essential.
The ability to transport water in bulk, efficiently and cost-effectively, will determine the success of the global water trade and while much of the world's freshwater is geographically concentrated, the real challenge lies in getting it to areas facing acute scarcity. Innovative logistics solutions, including large-scale maritime transport, are now making this possible, however, what is really needed are strong, on-the-ground partnerships to receive, store, and distribute water reliably. Without this logistical backbone, even the most advanced water trading models will fall short.
As a solution, technological breakthroughs that enable distributed water production via atmospheric humidity such as Hawana Water, a DMCC company, have promised to make an outsized contribution with impressive rates of efficiency and volume. Aside from accessibility, technology will also play a key role in adapting water for various purposes. For example, companies such as Enagic and its Kangen Water systems create hydrogen rich, alkalized water, which is produced using its patented ionizing technologies to optimise health via its antioxidant properties.
Dubai – the future capital of the global water trade
The same principles that apply to gold, diamonds and oil must now be applied to water. It is for these reasons that we are building the DMCC Water Centre, a dedicated ecosystem for water-focused companies that will spearhead innovation, technologies, sustainable best practices, knowledge sharing, and education. The Water Centre will eventually serve as the main regional hub for pioneers in the field of water management, from WaterTech innovators to logistics providers.
To that end, we are proud to have signed a landmark deal with Fresh Water Norway, bringing one billion litres of natural drinking water to Dubai annually for the next 50 years, and a partnership in the works with Aqua Index, whose founder, Yaacov Shirazi, stands as an early pioneer of water tokenisation, and a leading advocate for global transparency.
As a commodities centre, our role is to offer a neutral ground for trade, with Dubai providing a de-risked and regulated environment where international actors can collaborate, innovate, and produce with confidence – a crucial requirement as legal tensions over water inevitably escalate.
The world cannot afford for water to become a source of division, but instead a basis for cooperation. In this capacity, DMCC Water Centre has the potential to serve as an agnostic facilitator for development, trade and progress, while striving to solve one of the world's most pressing humanitarian challenges - making clean water a right, and not a privilege.