A major step towards keeping the global temperature rise below 2 ºC and limiting it to 1.5 ºC and towards a low-carbon economy was the signing of the Paris Agreement, which has been widely applauded by business, political, and NGO leaders.
This is excellent news for our planet, everyone on it and everyone concerned with the future of water. Water is life; it is vital to human wellbeing, environmental sustainability and prosperity, and we need to do as much as we can to preserve and protect all the water sources on our planet for future generations.
We are faced with a huge challenge of having to adapt all of our water management systems to a planet on which the temperature is set to rise by 2 ºC, but a challenge which we can meet head-on and something which can be achieved.
A minimum of 100 billion US$ per annum from 2020 onwards, which is going to be targeted towards those most in need, is going to be a contribution which will go a long way towards addressing the projected increase of droughts and floods that are set to occur because of climate change. No economy and society will be able to thrive without the necessary investment in the adaptation of our water systems so as to address water as a global risk.
Climate adaptation is not the only challenge on dealing with water systems; a burgeoning global population, continuously changing consumption patterns, and constantly expanding water demands from cities, industries and agriculture also have to be taken into consideration.
Reducing energy consumption and producing energy from the urban water cycle is one way in which the water sector can significantly contribute to a low-carbon economy. Reducing energy consumption and producing renewable energy from wastewater generated bio-gas raises the possibility of carbon neutral water utilities becoming the norm rather than the exception.
80% of all wastewater globally is not treated, and this equates to emissions of around 45kg of carbon dioxide per person per day. The Sustainable Development Target 6.3 t requires the unprecedented effort of building of wastewater facilities for approximately 0.6 million people per day until 2030.
This effort from the water sector, combined with working with customers to create smarter homes by installing efficient boilers and shower heads, thermostat mixers and heat recovery from drainage water, will make a huge impact in creating a carbon neutral water footprint.
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