The world faces multiple water crises, including overextraction, flooding, ecosystem degradation and inequitable safe water access. Insufficient funding and ineffective implementation impede progress in water access, while, in part, a misdiagnosis of the causes has prioritized some responses over others (for example, hard over soft infrastructure). We reframe the responses to mitigating the world’s water crises using a ‘beyond growth’ framing and compare it to mainstream thinking. Beyond growth is systems thinking that prioritizes the most disadvantaged. It seeks to decouple economic growth from environmental degradation by overcoming policy capture and inertia and by fostering place-based and justice-principled institutional changes.

Climate change and resource scarcity pose critical global challenges that demand innovative solutions. Circular bioeconomy provides a transformative framework for mitigating greenhouse gas emissions while enhancing climate adaptation. By applying circular principles, biowaste and wastewater are converted into valuable resources, reducing emissions across sectors such as agriculture and energy, while promoting sustainable practices such as nutrient recovery, biogas generation and safe wastewater reuse. These approaches address water scarcity, reduce reliance on fossil-based inputs, and improve environmental resilience. Financing mechanisms such as international climate funds, carbon credits and climate bonds are pivotal in scaling circular bioeconomy solutions, while enabling policies and capacity building empower stakeholders to drive implementation. The adoption of circular bioeconomy offers a path toward sustainable development, fostering a resilient and resource-efficient future.