CSO Insights: Why water is a rising focus in AI, climate and nature conversations

Nov 28, 2025

Emilio Tenuta, Chief Sustainability Officer at Ecolab who leads water, hygiene and infection prevention solutions, discusses why water is becoming central to climate and nature conversations. He covers AI-driven predictive water risk analytics, sensors and smart water management, and the role of public-private partnerships and basin initiatives to build water resilience.

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INSIGHT

Climate Is Fundamentally A Water Crisis

Emilio Tenuta reframes climate as primarily a water crisis felt through floods, droughts, and operational impacts.
He argues water is both a risk to mitigate and a strategic enabler for business performance.

INSIGHT

AI Both Strains And Enables Water Systems

Emilio warns AI will dramatically increase power and water demand, adding strain to existing resource crises.
He sees AI as an opportunity to measure, monitor, and predict water and energy needs more effectively.

ANECDOTE

Sensor Example: 3D Tracer In Breweries

Emilio describes 3D Tracer sensors that monitor pipe water quality and quantity in real time for predictive maintenance.
He explains this improves brewery pasteurizer control, reducing water, energy use, and cost while improving product quality.

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We kick off this episode of the All Things Sustainable podcast with key takeaways from COP30, the annual UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties that ended last week in Belém, Brazil. You can listen to our previous episode about COP30 here.

Today's episode features Emilio Tenuta, the Chief Sustainability Officer at Ecolab, a provider of water, hygiene and infection prevention solutions to businesses around the world. In the interview, Emilio explains the rising focus on water in conversations about climate and nature.

"The climate crisis is really about a water crisis: The way we're going to experience climate is through extreme weather events and droughts, floods and a number of other activities that impact our businesses," Emilio says. "But it's also about water being an enabler to drive your business performance and impact."

Emilio explains how AI can help companies understand future water risks. "Up to now, we've been looking in a rearview mirror on what water stress really means," he says. "Now we're trying to embed AI so we can look predictively."

This interview is the latest installment in our CSO Insights podcast series, where we interview Chief Sustainability Officers around the world and across industries about how they're navigating the changing sustainability landscape.

Listen to other episodes in the CSO Insights podcast series:

CSO Insights: Why consumer goods giant P&G wants to reinvent the business case for sustainability

CSO Insights: How auto giant General Motors is driving EV adoption

CSO Insights: Singapore's biggest bank on the 'business imperative' of climate action

CSO Insights: How a big Malaysian bank balances climate, nature, human rights and economic inclusion

CSO Insights: How sustainability pullback is playing out in Southeast Asia

Read coverage of COP30 key takeaways from S&P Global Energy:

COP30 in review: Key outcomes (requires subscription)

COP30: Support for fossil fuel transition roadmap grows despite 'red line' resistance

Register for a Dec. 3, 2025 webinar about COP30 key outcomes: Decoding COP30: Outcomes and the road ahead for climate policy and action

Read nature research from S&P Global: Companies around the world face risks from their reliance on nature

Listen to our podcast episode featuring Water.org co-founder Gary White: Why Water.org CEO says the world's water challenges are 'inherently solvable'

Listen to our podcast episode featuring CDP CEO Sherry Madera: Water, water everywhere in Climate Week NYC conversations

Learn about the Global Carbon Markets Conference

This piece was published by S&P Global Sustainable1 and not by S&P Global Ratings, which is a separately managed division of S&P Global.

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