In my GWI column last month, I wrote about the potential for greater capital inflows to water, as investors come to understand the new opportunities for ESG leadership that are emerging amid the gradual transformation of the sector. The "gradual" part, of course, speaks to the characteristic caution of our industry, which is just a kinder way of saying we're resistant to change. Recently, however, I see more signs that an innovation revolution is gathering steam in water. We're late to the party, but it seems the time is finally right, now that rapid change is ingrained in American culture, and high tech is shifting beyond consumer companies like Facebook, Apple, and Amazon to focus on changing how we run our world, bringing innovation to government, education, infrastructure, and healthcare. In water, a growing group of forward thinkers is working to break through the logjams that have kept our technology adoption cycle so prohibitively long. As we finally move into the next generation - Water 2.0, one could say - the resulting attraction of money, public enthusiasm and, most crucially, talent could crush our sleepy backwater reputation for good.
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