Water is a vital resource that has fuelled human progress. It transports solids, dissolves minerals, chemicals and nutrients, and stores thermal energy. This ‘carrier characteristic’ allows for countless industrial, agricultural, and transport processes that enable our society to thrive. But water is also key to life. The water in our oceans is home to phytoplankton […]
Telling the story of the Okjökull glacier in Iceland, Magnason explains why we need to start connecting to the future in a more intimate way.
Cities are leading on ensuring a safe and steady supply of water and setting an example for others to follow.
The global campaign to rally leadership and support from businesses, cities, regions, investors for a healthy, resilient, zero carbon recovery.
It is 2050 and the global water sector is entirely sustainable thanks to a suite of ambitious policies and large-scale investments. Novel circular approaches to water use – and reuse – are especially influential because of their ability to capture embedded energy in today’s water management systems that was previously lost. This energy is all emissions-free and is helping make the water sector not just Net Zero but Net Positive.
A huge amount of effort and investment has gone into conserving fresh water sources over recent decades. As a result, half of all freshwater ecosystems and inland waters are now not only protected but healthy and productive. This is important for achieving Net Zero because of the latent mitigation and sequestration potential of water-based ‘sinks’, such as wetlands, peatlands, mangroves. The knock-on gains for biodiversity and water security make the policy very popular.
Food production is another area where great strides have been made over the years. Beforehand, inefficient agricultural practices saw vast amounts of wasted water as well as detrimental changes to land use and soil quality. Today, the deployment of smart irrigation techniques and regenerative approaches to farming are reversing these trends, making the agriculture sector less water intensive and more climate-friendly.
Water now finds itself at the heart of a decarbonised ecosystem that delivers multiple additional benefits for society and the environment. Critically, water and sanitation services are now affordable and available to all, even in areas experiencing water stress. The water industry also provides vast numbers of green jobs. Furthermore, today’s institutional, legal and regulatory frameworks incentivise businesses and financiers to keep improving how our water is managed.
