World
Water Week closed on Friday 28 August, with SIWI urging climate
negotiators to ensure that water is thoroughly integrated in the global
2015 climate agreement.
This year, World Water Week – themed Water
for Development – had 3,300 participants from 125 countries,
representing governments, academia, civil society, international
organizations, the private sector, and many others. Both World Water
Week and Stockholm Water Prize celebrated their 25th jubilee.
SIWI’s Executive Director Torgny Holmgren summarized the voices of the Week when he said: "water is what binds together all the aspects of climate change. Climate change is water change." The
impact of climate change is felt through water, with flooding, erratic
rain patterns, pro-longed droughts, and other extreme weather events.
Water is also critical for successful climate change mitigation, as many
efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions depend on reliable access to
water resources. "It is absolutely vital that water is a part of
both voluntary initiatives to mitigate and adapt to climate change, as
well as of the Climate Convention itself," said Karin Lexén,
Director of World Water Week, International Processes and Prizes.
Sweden’s Minister for Climate and Environment and Deputy Prime Minister,
Dr Åsa Romson, echoed SIWI’s message: "If waters are not managed
properly and water resources management is not well integrated in
climate efforts, climate impacts will have a significant effect on our
societies – it is a challenge for all countries." She added that "I
want to encourage further discussions on how to strengthen water
resilience as part of the Action agenda and to make sure that climate
investments, including through the Green Climate Fund, can support water
resilience."
Dr Benedito Braga, Secretary of State for
Sanitation and Water Resources for the state of São Paulo in Brazil and
President of the World Water Council, said that "Water security is probably the greatest human challenge of this century." Struggling with extreme water shortages in a metropolitan area serving over 20 million people, he added: "Today I strongly believe that the stakes are higher than ever."
In a passionate plea to negotiators in Paris, the President of Marshall
Islands, Christopher J Loeak, earlier in the week said he was not sure
if he dared hope for the strongest possible wording in the climate
agreement, but said he expected the world to make a historic pledge that
would not only save his country, but also the world. "We (Marshall islands) are quite literally contemplating a future where we are being wiped off the world map," he said.
"It
is of utmost importance to integrate and address water in the global
climate discourse and this World Water Week has been an important
platform for such collaborative discussions towards Paris," Minister Åsa Romson concluded.
SIWI
