“It goes without saying that water has found an important place among the measures envisaged under the INDCs and the Agenda for Solutions because of its cross-cutting nature and its significant potential for mitigation and adaptation,” Resende Carvalho told Circle of Blue. Building on the report`s findings, a fireside discussion will discuss water-related climate change mitigation solutions and challenges with leading experts from the private sector, the energy sector and the agricultural sector. “Our findings suggest that even COP21 climate action is not enough to mitigate all the risks of increased global water scarcity by mid-century,” said Adam Schlosser, deputy director of MIT`s joint program. “To achieve a significant reduction in the risks associated with unmet water demand by 2050, many countries need to consider comprehensive adaptation measures that increase water use efficiency, as well as viable options to increase water storage potential. Our ongoing analysis will bring the most cost-effective options. The authors conclude that by 2050, an estimated 1.5 billion more people worldwide will suffer from stressful water conditions, of whom about 1 billion will experience severe to extremely stressed water conditions. Uncertainty in the structure of climate change plays a role in both where people will face water stress and the water stress they will be exposed to. This session provides an overview of an upcoming report that explores the links between freshwater and climate action. Water-related mitigation strategies can generally be classified as nature-based or technology-driven. In nature-based mitigation, ecosystems act as carbon sinks, absorbing greenhouse gas emissions while preserving or enhancing biodiversity. Technology-driven solutions include, for example, wastewater management and treatment, as well as circular systems for water reuse and recycling.
The role of water in mitigating climate change is much more important than previously thought. In this case, we show how important mitigation measures depend on access to fresh water or impact water management and availability. To achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement, we must consider water. One of the keys to achieving the goals set out in the Paris Agreement will be smart water management. Water was on the agenda of the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Marrakech (COP22), and its key role in building resilience to climate change cannot be overstated. The role of water has great potential for synergies in adaptation and mitigation, as reflected in the priorities set out in the national climate plans. This guidance note, developed by members of the agwa policy group, presents recommendations on how water can influence the implementation of the Paris Agreement, illustrated by its role in Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). Brett writes about agriculture, energy, infrastructure, politics, and water economics in the United States. He also writes the Federal Water Tap`s weekly summary, Circle of Blue, about U.S.
government water news. He is the recipient of two Society of Environmental Journalists Reporting Awards, one of the highest honors in American environmental journalism: first place for explanatory reporting for a series on septic tank pollution in the United States (2016) and third place for Beat Reporting in a Small Market (2014). In 2018, he received the Sierra Club Distinguished Service Award. Brett lives in Seattle, where he hikes through the mountains and bakes cakes. Contact Brett Walton Although water is not mentioned in the final agreement, it has nevertheless taken a firm place in the global climate agenda “This is a huge victory for all our citizens – not for one country or a bloc, but for all those here who have worked so hard to get us across the finish line, ==References=====External links===Secretary of State John Kerry said at the closing plenary. “This is a victory for the entire planet and for future generations. We have set the course here. The world has come together around an agreement that will allow us to take a new path for our planet – a smart and responsible path, a sustainable one. As with the climate agreement, water also depends on what happens after delegates leave Paris. Morocco and France have already pledged to make water a more central part of next year`s climate conference in Marrakech.
Although euphoria still hangs in the air, the hard work of putting words into practice begins. The Paris conference drew cheers not only from renewable energy advocates, but also from water groups. For years, organizations focused on global freshwater resources have felt marginalized in the climate change debate. A warmer planet means worse droughts, major floods and troubling disruptions in the water cycle, but the issue of adaptation has been largely ignored by diplomats. If we take the trade-offs between climate protection and water protection objectives too late, climate policy can jeopardise the achievement of the SDGs on water. This, in turn, would jeopardize other SDGs such as Zero Hunger (SDG 2), Sustainable Cities and Communities (SDG 11) and Life on Land (SDG 15), which depend on adequate water supply. In terms of water policy, this means that the sustainable management of water resources in line with SDG 6 will become increasingly important in the future, both in the context of climate change adaptation and climate protection. That has changed in Paris. Although the final text does not mention it by name, water has been at the center of many debates and parallel agreements.
The proponents of water have not succeeded in limiting their program, but in expanding it. The conference produced a number of remarkable agreements. More than 300 organizations have signed the Paris Pact to improve water management practices at the watershed level. According to Tales Resende Carvalho of UNESCO`s International Hydrological Programme, about $1 billion $US in funding has already been secured for infrastructure projects. Adaptation funds could also go into water-related projects from the Green Climate Fund, to which rich countries have pledged at least $US$100 billion a year by 2020. They did it in two ways. First, by targeting climate adaptation at the national level. Seventy-five percent of national climate plans (INDCs) submitted by 186 countries prior to the conference mentioned water adaptation. The details of these plans vary wildly, according to Melisa Cran of the French water partnership, but they provide a starting point. Even less attention has been paid to the fact that mitigation measures can also lead to high water consumption. The central objective of the Paris Climate Agreement is to keep global warming well below 2°C in the long term and limit it to 1.5°C if possible.
To this end, the parties to the agreement “aim to reach the global peak of greenhouse gas emissions as soon as possible, […] and then make rapid reductions” in order to “achieve a balance between anthropogenic emissions from sources and removals of greenhouse gases by sinks by the second half of this century at the latest”. .