A world with intensifying water stress levels cannot rescue the climate of our planet as a judicious use of the natural resource – from rivers, streams and oceans to dams – remains a key part of the solution.
This reminder comes in a new report as an unexpected coronavirus-caused pause in economic activities in major countries makes the link clear between carbon emissions and climate change, invigorating calls for climate action.
But the 2020 UN World Water Development Report, compiled by the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), is significant in it the larger perspective as it underscores the importance of using water sanely to climate improvement efforts.
Released on the World Water Day, the report says tackling water insecurity and climate change are two of the most critical challenges the world will have to confront over the next several decades.
The authors of the report particularly recommend a focus on addressing rising water stress and improving efficiency of water use in agricultural and industrial fields.
Actions must aim at three areas: first, enabling people to adapt to the impacts of climate change; second, improving the resilience of livelihoods; and, third, reducing the drivers of climate change.
Image: John M. Even / USGS / Public domain
“The word ‘water’ rarely appears in international climate agreements, even though it plays a key role in issues such as food security, energy production, economic development and poverty reduction,” said UNESCO Director-General, Audrey Azoulay.
She stressed: “This potential of water must be explored, given that our actions to reduce global warming are currently lagging behind our ambitions, despite wide adherence to the Paris Agreement…the report shows that water does not need to be a problem – it can be part of the solution. Water can support efforts to both mitigate and adapt to climate change.”
Climate change experts have long argued that climate relies heavily on water as a vital element of its composition and that water remains the most important climatic factor for most people.
“I take this concept even further,” climate researcher Garland C ‘Gary’ Black III says.
“Water is the most important factor for all existence as we know it, and water is easy to move by changing the directions and power of winds, which we can do by changing the surface reflectivity of large areas of land and water masses,” he writes in a study entitled Project Eden, which explores ways to address some of the pressing weather and climate issues.
“If we become proactive, as I state we should, we will make important changes to a system that will give the greatest benefits to all mankind, ” Gary adds.
Meanwhile, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said Sunday prioritize limiting global heating to 1.5 degrees Celsius in order for the world to be in a “much better position to manage and solve the water crisis that we all face.”
This year’s World Water Day focuses on water and climate change. With 2020 a make-or-break year for climate action, this focus is timely, he said.
“Water is the primary medium through which we perceive the effects of climate disruption, from extreme weather events, such as droughts and floods, to glacial melting, saltwater intrusion and sea level rise,” he said.
This will negatively affect health and productivity and act as a threat multiplier for instability and conflict. The solution is clear, said the UN chief.
“We must urgently scale up investments in healthy watersheds and water infrastructure, with dramatic improvements in the efficiency of water use, said Guterres, adding that the world must anticipate and respond to climate risks at every level of water management.
