SDG 06: Clean Water and Sanitation Dynamic Briefing Generated 07 October 2020 for Marco Antonio Gonzalez
SDG 06: Clean Water and Sanitation Last review on Tue 03 September 2019
About This dynamic briefing draws on the collective intelligence of the Forum network to explore the key trends, interconnections and interdependencies between industry, regional and global issues. In the briefing, you will find a visual representation of this topic (Transformation Map – interactive version available online via intelligence.weforum.org ), an overview and the key trends affecting it, along with summaries and links to the latest research and analysis on each of the trends. Briefings for countries also include the relevant data from the Forum’s benchmarking indices. The content is continuously updated with the latest thinking of leaders and experts from across the Forum network, and with insights from Forum meetings, projects communities and activities.
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Executive summary This Transformation Map provides a contextual briefing for one of the Sustainable Development Goals the United Nations’ framework for making real progress towards a more sustainable future by the year 2030 - by mapping related strategic issues and interdependencies. The content, including attached key issue headings and texts, is drawn from expert- and machine-curated knowledge on the World Economic Forum’s Strategic Intelligence platform; it is not a reproduction of the official text of the SDG. The UN introduces this Goal as follows: 'Clean, accessible water for all is an essential part of the world we want to live in and there is sufficient fresh water on the planet to achieve this. However, due to bad economics or poor infrastructure, millions of people including children die every year from diseases associated with inadequate water supply, sanitation and hygiene. Water scarcity, poor water quality and inadequate sanitation negatively impact food security, livelihood choices and educational opportunities for poor families across the world. At the current time, more than 2 billion people are living with the risk of reduced access to freshwater resources and by 2050, at least one in four people is likely to live in a country affected by chronic or recurring shortages of fresh water. Drought in specific afflicts some of the world’s poorest countries, worsening hunger and malnutrition. Fortunately, there has been great progress made in the past decade regarding drinking sources and sanitation, whereby over 90% of the world’s population now has access to improved sources of drinking water. To improve sanitation and access to drinking water, there needs to be increased investment in management of freshwater ecosystems and sanitation facilities on a local level in several developing countries within Sub-Saharan Africa, Central Asia, Southern Asia, Eastern Asia and South-Eastern Asia.'
1. Energy and Water
7. Conflict, Security and Water
Better managing water use can result in more efficient and environmentally-beneficial energy use.
As the effects of climate change worsen, water becomes a more prominent source of conflict.
2. Agriculture and Water Impact
8. Human and Environmental Health
A growing and increasingly wealthy global population must be fed, placing intense pressure on water resources.
The world’s supply of fresh water, crucial for health and preventing the spread COVID-19, is at risk.
3. Climate Change and Ecosystems Just a 0.5°C increase in temperatures can significantly impact water systems and human health.
4. Valuing Water Economies that fail to develop better water resource management may suffer significant consequences.
5. Water Data and Technology Emerging technologies can help to curb water waste and better monitor water systems.
6. Water Infrastructure An estimated $11.7 trillion must be invested water infrastructure between 2013 and 2030.
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Energy and Water Better managing water use can result in more efficient and environmentally-beneficial energy use Traditional energy production based on fossil fuels and nuclear power requires large volumes of water. On the other hand, the heating, transport, purification, and use of water consume vast amounts of energy. Policies that successfully account for both energy and water use can therefore potentially produce multiple benefits. An urban water conservation mandate implemented during a period of drought in California, for example, which mandated a 25% reduction in water use, resulted in electricity savings that were 11% greater than what was achieved by dedicated electric utility efficiency programs during the same period while resulting greenhouse gas emission reductions that were equivalent to removing 111,000 cars from the road for a full year. The fossil fuel economy is particularly waterintensive and polluting. The waste products generated by burning coal send toxic heavy metals into groundwater and rivers. Recently, water demand for fracking in the US has soared, increasing by as much as 770% per well between 2011 and 2016 in the Permian Basin; that level of demand can severely limit local freshwater availability.
Related insight areas: Sustainable Development, Automotive Industry, Future of Economic Progress, Future of Energy, Climate Change, Electricity, Middle East and North Africa, Future of Food, Mining and Metals
Thermal power plants account for more water withdrawals (used for cooling) than any other sector in the US, though much of that water is eventually returned - at a warmer temperature - to rivers and lakes. These energy systems rely on consistency in terms of river flow and temperature, and severe drought in France and in the southern US have resulted in power plant deratings or shutdowns as water temperatures have become too high. Some alternative energy options also have drawbacks; ethanol-based biofuels require land and water to grow corn, switchgrass, and other feedstocks, for example. The reservoirs associated with hydropower dams in arid regions are losing substantial amounts of water to evaporation, while dams in tropical regions are generating methane emissions. In terms of water treatment and purification energy use, Saudi Arabia, by some estimates, dedicates 10% of domestic oil consumption to desalinating water - while in Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, desalination accounts for roughly 30% of electricity use. By way of contrast, wind turbines and solar panels require little to no water to produce electricity. Energy choices and solutions can have serious consequences for water availability - and need to be tailored to specific challenges that vary by region. Even those policies designed to mitigate climate change can potentially exacerbate water scarcity.
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Latest knowledge Frontiers
Frontiers
Soil Salinity and Food Security in India
Water Use for Energy Production and Conversion in Hebei Province, China
06 October 2020
23 September 2020 India would require around 311 million tons of food grains (cereals and pulses) during 2030 to feed around 1.43 billion people, and the requirement expectedly would further increase to 350 million tons by 2050 when India's population would be around 1.8 billion. To achieve food security in the country, the attempts need to focus on both area expansion under agriculture as well as rise in crop productivity. Massive urbanization is putting pressure on agricultural lands, resulting in shrinking of land holdings. The possibility of area expansion under agriculture, therefore, exists in restoring the degraded lands.
In recent years, with the socio-economic development, energy production and water consumption have been given more and more scientific, political and public concern. Taking Hebei Province, China as, an example, this paper performs an in-depth analysis of the energy production and water consumption. In this study, the water withdrawals and water consumption associated with energy production in Hebei Province from 2015 to 2050 were estimated by using the bottom-up Long-range Energy Alternative Planning model, which established three scenarios based on three different development models. The results show that the energy production and their associated water requirements would continue to grow at a high speed in the Reference Scenario.
EOS
Critical Agents of Change at Earth’s Surface
World Economic Forum
29 September 2020
How to cut the carbon footprint of online shopping
By way of agriculture and industry, humans have major influences on the critical zone. Our past and present effects on the landscape, soil, and water will echo for a long time to come.
21 September 2020 Green supply chain management can ease the environmental impact of e-commerce, from product design, through to disposal.
Asian Development Bank
The health of Asia’s rivers lies both in the cities and on the farms
SpringerNature
Evaluation of groundwater potential of bedrock aquifers in Geological Sheet 223 Ilorin, Nigeria, using geo-electric sounding
25 September 2020 Several of the Sustainable Development Goals are closely linked to or dependent on river health rather than simply on water. River health relates to the condition and viability of ecosystems in river corridors, generally defined as the land adjacent to rivers. Maintenance of river health depends on river flows, water quality, and the general environment of these corridors. Of the 10 worst polluted large rivers in the world, nine are in the Asia Pacific region. Most of the region’s rivers where ecosystems have collapsed are those passing though highly urbanized areas.
17 September 2020 Abstract Electrical resistivity data acquired in one hundred and ten (110) locations using vertical electrical sounding method of Schlumberger array have been used to study the hydrogeological properties and groundwater storage potential of bedrock aquifers in an area covered by Geological Sheet 223 Ilorin, Nigeria. The aim of the study was to identify productive aquifer zones for citing boreholes for community water supply. The data acquired were processed and interpreted using auxiliary curve matching and computer automation method to delineate the different geo-electric layers, their resistivities, thicknesses, and depths. Geo-electrical layers were interpreted to their equivalent geological layers using borehole lithological logs from the study area.
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Agriculture and Water Impact A growing and increasingly wealthy global population must be fed, placing intense pressure on water resources In the next 40 years, the world’s farmers will need to produce more food than they managed to produce in the previous 10,000. The challenge of feeding a growing, increasingly affluent global population comes alongside related, increasing demands for water and energy, at a time when climate change is poised to further alter the availability of water resources. Agriculture already places significant pressure on the world's freshwater, by accounting for nearly 70% of global water withdrawals (the number actually rises to nearly 90% in countries where farming is most intensive). Unless substantial efforts are made to reduce food waste, and increase the water-use productivity of agriculture - that is, to get more “crop per drop� - water demand generated by the agricultural sector is only projected to further increase; according to a United Nations report published in 2017, the global population is expected to increase to about 9.8 billion by the year 2050, from roughly 7.6 billion currently - and then to increase further to 11.2 billion by the year 2100. Changes in diet will also play a crucial role in increasing demand. Greater demand for staple crops like maize and wheat, for example, is coinciding with a dietary shift that has people eating more livestock and poultry products, including meat, dairy, and eggs. Meat-based diets are more waterintensive than the vegetarian variety. UNESCO has predicted that global food demand will increase by 70% by 2050. Already, aquifers (layers of permeable rock that serve as reservoirs for ground water) in many regions with highpotential farmland are being depleted, and nutrients from farm runoff are polluting drinking water wells and resulting in harmful algal blooms in lakes and rivers. Technology that can help to increase crop yields and make plants more drought resistant will become even more vital in the near future. Agriculture's harm to ecosystems can be mitigated by decreasing post-harvest waste, and by employing more sustainable fertilizer and pesticide use. Developed nations will likely adopt these technologies and techniques first, though the biggest benefits in terms of increasing crop yields will be enjoyed in developing nations - particularly in subSaharan Africa. Related insight areas: Future of Economic Progress, Environment and Natural Resource Security, Agriculture, Food and Beverage, Future of Food, Climate Change, Africa, Sustainable Development
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Latest knowledge Center for International Forestry Research
Science Daily
From planting to natural regeneration: best approaches to tree growing
Forest margins may be more resilient to climate change than previously thought
05 October 2020
22 September 2020 Tree planting techniques and technology, from species selection to considering natural regeneration, can help reduce costs, improve survival rates while connecting communities. During the second session we will consider what trees make the most sense under different climate scenarios, the role of biodiversity, where do we plant which tree species – or let nature do the work through natural regeneration. New technologies, their applications to the future of tree planting and restoration will also be discussed.
A warming climate and more frequent wildfires do not necessarily mean the western United States will see the forest loss that many scientists expect. Dry forest margins may be more resilient to climate change than previously thought if managed appropriately, according to researchers. Asian Development Bank (ADB)
Governors' Seminar: Developing Asia beyond the COVID-19 Pandemic
IndiaSpend
19 September 2020
Nearing Desertification, Marathwada Isn’t Giving Up Water-Guzzling Sugarcane. Here’s Why
World Resources Institute
Building a 100 Percent Clean Economy: Opportunities for an Equitable, Low-Carbon Recovery
30 September 2020 Shankar and Chandrakala Tandale vividly remember the summer of 2016. “We have three borewells and two wells on our farmland,” said Shankar, 52. “They had completely dried up. Even the queues for drinking water were longer than what they usually are in summer.” The situation forced them to grow a different crop that year.
16 September 2020 On September 16, WRI U.S. Climate Program Senior Associate Devashree Saha, Ph.D., testified in a hearing before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Energy & Commerce, Subcommittee on Environment and Climate Change. The hearing, titled "Building a 100 Percent Clean Economy: Opportunities for an Equitable, Low-Carbon Recovery,” examined opportunities for the United States to rebuild from the economic crisis in a way that creates a cleaner, more equitable and just economy.
SpringerNature
Geoelectrical investigation of groundwater potential and vulnerability of Oraifite, Anambra State, Nigeria 25 September 2020
World Resources Institute
Abstract Electrical resistivity survey employing vertical electrical sounding was carried out in Oraifite, Southeastern Nigeria, involving a total of twenty soundings across, in order to assess the groundwater potential and the aquifer vulnerability in Oraifite. The field data were interpreted using the WINRESIST software, and the resulting geoelectric curves give the resistivities, depths and thicknesses of each geoelectrical layer. Dar Zarrouk parameters and aquifer transmissivity were computed using the values of aquifer resistivity and thickness. From the results, variations of the computed parameters were observed. Aquifer resistivity ranges from 420.1 to 27,585.8 Ωm having an average value of 4906.3 Ωm, while its thickness varies from 13.4 to 93. 9 m.
Mainstreaming Climate Change Adaptation in Kenya: Lessons from Makueni and Wajir Counties 15 September 2020 Integrating adaptation across sustainable development initiatives can spur resilient growth, safeguard development gains from climate change impacts and help decision-makers avoid investments that unintentionally increase vulnerability. New research from WRI shines a spotlight on how two counties in Kenya are using innovative, local-level climate funds to move from mainstreaming adaptation planning to action.
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Climate Change and Ecosystems Just a 0.5°C increase in temperatures can significantly impact water systems and human health Climate change is affecting the availability and quality of water resources. On an increasingly warm planet, extreme and irregular weather events such as floods and drought are expected to become more frequent. Warmer river and lake temperatures will reduce the amounts of dissolved oxygen contained in freshwater, and make habitats more lethal for the fish that rely on it to breathe. Warming waters are also more prolific incubators of harmful algae that is toxic for aquatic life and for humans. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5°C, published in late 2018, noted that by limiting the global average temperature increase to 1.5°C above preindustrial levels, instead of 2°C, we could significantly reduce the risk of severe negative outcomes for ecosystems and human development. For example, at a limited 1.5°C temperature increase, sea level rise by the year 2100 would be 10 centimetres lower than it would be at a 2°C increase - posing less of a threat to coastal cities, and lessening the risk of severe heat waves and torrential storms. A mere halfdegree of extra warming, at a 2°C increase, would also mean a ten-fold increase in ice-free summers in the Arctic, and a doubling of the rate of crop loss, according to the report. The report also identified important links between climate change and safe drinking water access - but cautioned that socio-economic factors like governance and wealth also play significant, related roles. Ecosystems such as tropical forests, ocean systems and corals, and wetlands are particularly vulnerable. More extreme variation in terms of rainfall and drought are likely in both a 1.5°C-rise and 2°Crise scenario; in many cases, that will lessen the quality and quantity of water available for agriculture and other human activity. Limiting warming to 1.5°C will be difficult, but possible, according to the IPCC report, though it indicated that more breakthroughs in terms of carbon sequestration may be necessary to complement existing efforts to reduce emissions. Implementing emerging technologies and adaptation practices can help reduce the vulnerability of people and the environment to climate change, and help to increase the resilience of water resources and systems. Further research is needed, in order to increase awareness and understanding of climate change and to better adapt to a changing environment. Related insight areas: Insurance, The Ocean, Agriculture, Food and Beverage, Forests, Climate Change, Cities and Urbanization, Green New Deals, Arctic, Future of Food
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Latest knowledge ReliefWeb
London School of Economics and Political Science
Climate resilient and empowering livelihoods for women
Sugar and Water in Pakistan 22 September 2020
05 October 2020
Following the release of a government report on the trade of sugar in Pakistan and its links to corruption, Uzair Sattar ( Research Intern, Wilson Center, Washington D.C. ) argues how the report’s almost-complete exclusion of water showcases negligence towards Pakistan’s existential water crisis. Imran Khan, Prime Minister of Pakistan, came to power on the back of the most vociferous anti-corruption campaign seen in Pakistan’s political history. During his previous 22 years of political struggle in the opposition, Imran Khan fervently and consistently attacked the country’s ruling elites.
Bangladesh is known globally as one of the most vulnerable country under climate change. The government of Bangladesh, the development and climate change practitioners has been trying to make the development strides resilient. Rather than a techno-fix discourse, climate variability/ change have been evolved as a development issue since last one and half decade. The concept of “Community Based Adaptation” started to shape up into reality from early 2000, that too in Bangladesh, for the first time at global level. Frontiers
SpringerNature
Impacts of Marine Litter on Mediterranean Reef Systems: From Shallow to Deep Waters
Assessment of groundwater potentiality using geospatial techniques in Purba Bardhaman district, West Bengal
29 September 2020 Biogenic reefs are known worldwide to play a key role in benthic ecosystems, enhancing biodiversity and ecosystem functioning at every level, from shallow to deeper waters. Unfortunately, several stressors threaten these vulnerable systems. The widespread presence of marine litter represents one of these. The harmful effects of marine litter on several organisms are known so far. However, only in the last decade, there was increasingly scientific and public attention on the impacts on reef organisms and habitats caused by litter accumulating on the seafloor. This review aims to synthesize literature and discuss the state of current knowledge on the interactions between marine litter and reef organisms in a strongly polluted basin, the Mediterranean Sea.
19 September 2020 Abstract The word water is life, so life on this planet cannot be possible without water. Water is an essential natural resource that is a surface and groundwater device for human society. The purpose of this research is to assess the groundwater potentiality of the Purba Bardhaman district. All data (primary and secondary) are collected from different sources and analyzed in geographic information system (GIS) software to prepare thematic maps. Different geo-environmental factors like as land use and land cover, soil, lithology, rainfall and distance from the river, etc., can impact on groundwater availability directly or indirectly in Purba Bardhaman area. To identify groundwater potential zones, all these factors are composed into GIS software using multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) method.
United Nations Environment
Afghanistan and Tajikistan step up environmental cooperation
Overseas Development Institute
24 September 2020
Madhav Datt on tackling the climate crisis
Dushanbe/Kabul, 24 September 2020 - The Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and the Republic of Tajikistan have taken an important step in strengthening joint efforts to protect their unique, shared mountain ecosystem of the Panj Amu Darya river basin with the signing of the two nations’ first-ever bilateral Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on environmental protection. The agreement, which was signed in Dushanbe on 17….
16 September 2020 Madhav Datt founded Green the Gene as a small environmental club in school when he was 8 years old. It's now one of the world’s largest completely youth-run environmental non-profits. He explains why multistakeholder solutions driven from the grassroots are essential to tackle the climate crisis.
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Valuing Water Economies that fail to develop better water resource management may suffer significant consequences The World Economic Forum has consistently ranked water crises among the most prominent issues listed in its annual Global Risks Report (it was ranked fifth in terms of impact in the 2018 edition). Global economic growth is increasingly thirsty; demand for water is rising, in order to meet the needs of growing populations and expanding industries. Unfortunately, however, water is often managed in isolation, and water-intensive sectors such as energy, mining, agriculture, and manufacturing have a tendency to pursue individual plans that are potentially damaging to rivers and aquifers. This fragmentation in planning exacerbates risks for businesses and their investors. CDP, a non-profit research organization that serves institutional investors, and the CEO Water Mandate (an initiative formed by business leaders under United Nations auspices), have consistently found that most companies believe they may be affected by substantial change related to water risk. As a result, more companies in water-intensive sectors are working to improve their understanding of water management challenges, and evaluating their own vulnerability to water scarcity.
Related insight areas: Geo-economics, Fourth Industrial Revolution, Circular Economy, Electricity, Institutional Investors, Environment and Natural Resource Security, Mining and Metals, Global Risks, Future of Food, Future of Economic Progress
Some regions of the world could see their economic growth rates decline by as much as 6% of GDP by the year 2050, as a result of water-related losses in agriculture, health, income and property, according to a report published by the World Bank in 2016. However, the report also noted that some regions could see economic growth accelerate by as much as 6% over the same period, thanks to improved water resource management. Advocates of the “circular� economy approach, according to which products are reused rather than discarded, have emphasized economic values that could help reduce the wasteful use of water in production and agriculture. A report published by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation in 2018 presented circular economyrelated opportunities for water including capturing greywater (waste water that does not contain sewage) for non-potable use. Water is a cross-cutting issue that affects all sectors of the global economy, and must be managed in a more integrated and holistic way. Increased transparency and community engagement will be important for determining values for water that reflect all social, economic, and environmental interests. If particularly water-intensive sectors can improve the way they work together in order to manage and value this resource, water pricing, trading, and allocation can become more efficient.
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Latest knowledge The New Humanitarian
Observer Research Foundation
There’s a better way forward than sending Afghans home to conflict
Governing the Ganges and Brahmaputra: Beyond Reductionist Hydrology
30 September 2020
18 September 2020 Opinion: Focusing on returns is shortsighted. Instead, let’s help the countries that host the vast majority of Afghan refugees and migrants.
This paper argues that the challenges in the governance of two Himalayan river systems, the Ganges and the Brahmaputra, emerge largely from crucial information and knowledge gaps. The dominance of the paradigm of “reductionist hydrology” solely based on structural interventions has resulted in the lack of recognition of the long-run costs incurred through ecosystem damages […].
Project Syndicate
Nature Is Our Common Ground for a Green Recovery 28 September 2020 The COVID-19 pandemic offers a preview of what can happen when humanity ruthlessly exploits nature. In mapping out a policy trajectory for the next decade, decision-makers must put aside the obsession with economic growth for its own sake, and start to heed the scientific evidence.
Center for Global Development
We Need All Hands On Deck to Close Gender Pay Gaps 16 September 2020 September 18 marks the world’s first International Equal Pay Day . To that end, CGD and colleagues have prepared a joint policy memo that identifies roles for government and the private sector in closing gender pay gaps. Explore the recs >>.
Frontiers
Ecological Risk Assessment of Heavy Metals in the Soil at a Former Painting Industry Facility
World Bank
25 September 2020
Expert Panel: Informality and COVID19 in South Asia
Soil samples from the site of the former largest paint and varnish factory in ex-Yugoslavia were analyzed for arsenic and eight heavy metals (Pb, Cd, Zn, Cr, Ni, Cu, Fe, and Hg). Several additional soil properties (pH, sulfur, nitrogen, phosphorus, and water content) were also measured. Multivariate analysis showed strong correlations between Pb and Zn; and a moderate correlation between Cu and Ni. There was no correlation between heavy metals and any of the analyzed soil properties parameters. A factor analysis grouped most heavy metals, except Cd, which showed different behavior, and Fe and As, which associated with soil properties. The soil samples were clustered into two distinctive groups. Positive matrix factorization receptor modeling clearly identified Zn and Pb as belonging to the traffic vehicle factor.
15 September 2020
World Economic Forum
Why we need international cooperation now more than ever 22 September 2020 Most people believe strongly in the power of working together to face the challenges of today and tomorrow, according to a survey by the United Nations.
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Water Data and Technology Emerging technologies can help to curb water waste and better monitor water systems The speed and scale of technological advancements propelling the Fourth Industrial Revolution are transforming the global economy at a time when concerns about water have never been greater. This industrial revolution offers an unprecedented opportunity to confront water risk, and seize untapped economic opportunities in both developing and developed countries alike. Developments such as the Internet of Things, big data, artificial intelligence, sensors, advancements in material sciences, and faster computing power are changing the way the world manages its global environmental commons. For example, improvements in aeroponics, a technique of growing plants that does not require soil, has made it possible to reduce water consumption by 95% compared with conventional, soilbased agriculture, while meanwhile preventing environmental runoff (which can carry pollutants and contaminate drinking water). Similarly, advancements in laboratory-grown meat have the potential to eliminate the need for the more than 15,000 litres of water that it takes to produce a single kilogram of beef, according to a report published by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers in 2013.
Related insight areas: Digital Economy and New Value Creation, Future of Food, Internet of Things, Innovation, Sustainable Development, Blockchain, Artificial Intelligence, Agriculture, Food and Beverage, Advanced Materials, Fourth Industrial Revolution, Biotechnology, Chemical and Materials Industry, Cities and Urbanization
Emerging technologies can also help urban centres to become more resilient when it comes to their water systems. Singapore, for example, announced in 2018 that in order to help its water service cope with increasing demand and costs, the city-state is turning to technology such as artificial intelligence-powered imaging used to detect microinvertebrates in water samples and trigger related alerts. Other examples of technology and data-driven infrastructure design employed to make water more sustainable include efforts in parts of the United Kingdom to use advanced sensors and connected Internet of Things devices to help identify leaks in water systems - which account for nearly 20% of water loss - and make them easier to repair. If they are implemented on a broader scale, such advancements could dramatically reduce global water demand, both for agriculture and for domestic use, while also helping to reduce related greenhouse gas emissions. Developments in data processing and collection, driven by artificial intelligence, can for example enable consumers, businesses, and governments to better understand their water needs and eliminate unnecessary use in a way that contributes to more sustainable development.
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Latest knowledge Policy Center For The New South
United Nations Environment
A Water-Energy-Food Nexus approach for conducting trade-off analysis: Morocco's phosphate industry in the Khouribga region
Streaming a message: Flipflopi to sail across Lake Victoria in another historic journey 22 September 2020
05 October 2020 The Flipflopi, the world’s first sailing boat (dhow) made entirely from plastic waste collected from towns and beaches in Kenya, is headed to Lake Victoria to raise awareness of the pollution plaguing the region’s most critical freshwater ecosystem Along with the initiative is a petition calling on all East African Community Member States to reach a regional consensus on banning nonessential single-use plastics The….
The study objective was to develop and use the WaterEnergy-Food Nexus Phosphate (WEF-P) Tool to evaluate the impact of Morocco’s phosphate industry on water, energy, and food sectors of Khouribga, which is the representative phosphate mining region of Morocco. The developed WEF-P Tool enabled a trade-off analysis based on integrating supply-chain processes, transportation, and water– energy footprints of the region.
Asian Development Bank
Irrigation Performance Assessment Using Satellite Remote Sensing: Insights from Tajikistan
SpringerOpen
Assessing farmers' contribution to greenhouse gas emission and the impact of adopting climate-smart agriculture on mitigation
18 September 2020 This publication emphasizes how satellite remote sensing technology can effectively aid in the design, monitoring, and evaluation of irrigation performance based on a study conducted on the Chubek Irrigation System in Tajikistan.
28 September 2020 The adoption of climate-smart agricultural (CSA) practices is expected to improve farmers’ adaptation to climate change and also increase yields while simultaneously curbing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Thi...
RAND Corporation
Emerging Infectious Disease, the Household Built Environment Characteristics, and Urban Planning
Frontiers
The Paleoecology of Microplastic Contamination
16 September 2020
24 September 2020 This study examines the relationship between the mix of household-scale water supplies, sanitation systems, and construction materials, and Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza among poultry in Vietnam.
While the ubiquity and rising abundance of microplastic contamination is becoming increasingly well-known, there is very little empirical data for the scale of their historical inputs to the environment. For many pollutants, where long-term monitoring is absent, paleoecological approaches (the use of naturally-accumulating archives to assess temporal trends) have been widely applied to determine such historical patterns, but to date this has been undertaken only very rarely for microplastics, despite the enormous potential to identify the scale and extent of inputs as well as rates of change.
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Water Infrastructure An estimated $11.7 trillion must be invested water infrastructure between 2013 and 2030 Water infrastructure can take many different forms, but it is the essential backbone of a modern economy. Drinking water distribution pipes, treatment plants, sewage reclamation, levees and dams built for flood protection, and canals that irrigate millions of hectares of farmland are all critical for economic growth and human well-being. Beneath the streets of any large city, are thousands of kilometres of water mains. Many of these systems are in need of renewal, in order to ensure water security. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development has argued that because global interest rates are historically low, and needs are historically significant, now is an ideal time to scale up investment in water infrastructure - in order to secure welldocumented benefits of clean, reliable water including fewer child deaths from diarrhoeal disease (the secondleading cause of death among children under five years old, according to the World Health Organization), and increased labour productivity.
Related insight areas: Banking and Capital Markets, Climate Change, Global Health, Innovation, Cities and Urbanization, Social Innovation, Financial and Monetary Systems
However, current investment levels are insufficient to meet the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals related to drinking water and sanitation established in 2015 - let alone to repair aging municipal water systems in developed countries, expand existing systems to accommodate urban growth, meet stricter water-quality regulations, or adequately prepare for the effects of climate change. Opportunities to improve existing systems abound; it is not uncommon, for example, for large cities in India to lose half their water supply to leaks. According to an estimate published by the McKinsey Global Institute, $11.7 trillion must be invested in related global infrastructure between 2013 and 2030 in order to meet water and sanitation needs. Infrastructure is not only pipes, pumps, and treatment facilities - more decision-makers are recognizing the benefit of using natural systems to slow storm flows, store water, and cleanse runoff. As a complement to traditional, “hard� infrastructure, such green infrastructure options include street swales (vegetated channels used to reduce stormwater flows), wetlands, rainwater harvesting, and grassy roofs. All are small-scale alternatives that are less environmentally damaging than what has been used in the past. Green bonds, or debt raised specifically for environmental purposes, could be used to finance related investment; total issuance of green bonds reached $155 billion in 2017, a 78% increase compared with the prior year, according to a report published by the non-profit group Climate Bonds Initiative.
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Latest knowledge RAND Corporation
Frontiers
Developing Recovery Options for Puerto Rico's Economic and Disaster Recovery Plan
One Place Doesn't Fit All: Improving the Effectiveness of Sustainability Standards by Accounting for Place
30 September 2020
22 September 2020
This report summarizes the strategic planning process in support of the government of Puerto Rico in its development of a congressionally mandated recovery plan.
The growing interest in incentivizing sustainable agricultural practices is supported by a large network of voluntary production standards, which aim to offer farmers and ranchers increased value for their product in support of reduced environmental impact. To be effective with producers and consumers alike, these standards must be both credible and broadly recognizable, and thus are typically highly generalizable. However, the environmental impact of agriculture is strongly place-based and varies considerably due to complex biophysical, socio-cultural, and management-based factors, even within a given sector in a particular region. We suggest that this contradiction between the placeless generality of standards and the placed-ness of agriculture renders many sustainability standards ineffective.
Business and Human Rights Resource Centre
Mexico: Impacts on water, health & livelihoods continue after toxic spill of Grupo Mexico´s mine in 2014, according to locals 30 September 2020 Disclaimer: Business & Human Rights Resource Centre and its collaborative partners take no position on the diverse views presented in linked material within the database, nor can we guarantee the factual accuracy of all the articles and reports we make available. The appearance of such links does not constitute endorsement of the websites they lead to or the information contained therein, over which we exercise no editorial control. Business & Human Rights Resource Centre Registered Charity in England & Wales no. 1096664 501(c)(3) non-profit organization in USA.
The Conversation
Arctic sea ice is being increasingly melted from below by warming Atlantic water 18 September 2020 Each September, scientists like me look out for the point when the Arctic’s meagre summer fizzles out and sea ice begins to grow once more. This point is known as the annual sea ice minimum extent. It has declined consistently over the past 15 years, and 2019 was the second lowest after 2012 in 42 years of continuous satellite records. This year’s minimum is imminent, and there is already even less ice coverage than last year. What’s causing this decline in minimum sea ice extent?.
Harvard Business School Working Knowledge
Financial Meltdowns Are More Predictable Than We Thought 24 September 2020 Robin Greenwood and Samuel G. Hanson discuss new research that shows economic crises follow predicatable patterns.
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Conflict, Security and Water As the effects of climate change worsen, water becomes a more prominent source of conflict Whether it is the source of conflict or protest, water is playing an increasingly prominent role in civil unrest sometimes as a target, and often as a catalyst. Examples include the violent protests in Morocco’s Rif region that followed water shortages there in 2017, and the destruction by militants of an important well in Kenya’s Mandera County (also in 2017), which left hundreds of residents without water. The Indus Waters Treaty, which divides the Indus River tributaries between India and Pakistan, is a prominent example of compromise that has been crafted on the issue of water. However, this type of cooperation is being tested by climate change, population growth, and regional conflict. Dramatic swings in seasonal water supply can threaten stability by affecting agricultural output and spurring migration. The Pacific Institute, a US-based think tank, has long tracked incidents such as attacks on water systems and infrastructure, the use of water as a weapon, and terrorist attacks on water systems; it has noted a recent shift in the nature of these conflicts away from water disputes between nations, and towards sub-national and local violence related to water access. There is a clear link between economic trends, and instances of social instability and unequal access to water. Global income disparities are the widest they have been in a century, and inequality in combination with climate stress is helping to reshape global geopolitics. While the Arab Spring resulted in deposed dictators, fractious politics in the Middle East have spurred mass migration. Amid this shifting socioeconomic landscape, water is increasingly a flashpoint or trigger for violent conflict in places like Syria and Yemen. Water was not historically considered a primary driver of global conflict; rather, it was seen as a compounding variable that worsened existing tension. However, as the global climate becomes more erratic, so too does predicting how much freshwater will be available at any given time, and in any given location - placing water in a far more prominent role as a source of discord. Only by better understanding the links between water and the traditional metrics of conflict can we better predict, understand, and react to water-related conflict around the globe. Related insight areas: Migration, Middle East and North Africa, Geo-economics, International Security, Civic Participation, Global Risks, Environment and Natural Resource Security, Values, Geopolitics, Climate Change, Human Rights
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Latest knowledge Asian Development Bank
London School of Economics and Political Science
Flood risk and public health: An unlikely partnership in the fight against COVID-19
India, China, and the headwaters of Asia: The importance of water along India’s northern border
30 September 2020
21 September 2020 The COVID-19 pandemic has brought unprecedented disruptions to the world. The disease itself and the containing measures brought societies and many public services to an abrupt halt. Flood risk management is, without exception, affected by such disruptions. Infrastructure development, planning and coordination, monitoring, and capacity building activities are all suspended. The public sector, on which flood risk management heavily relies, has been forced to redirect attention and resources to manage the pandemic, where they are needed most immediately.
With tensions between India and China growing along India’s northern border, Mike Todman (Lancaster University) explains how water scarcity, driven by climate change, will increasingly intersect with and exacerbate existing fissures between the two regional superpowers, ultimately becoming the primary strategic concern in the two countries’ fractious relationship. In his Independence Day speech, India’s Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, confirmed plans to make Ladakh, a government administered region in the north-west, the first carbon neutral region in India. The terrain of the territory makes it an ideal choice for such an ambition – it is mountainous and contains the upper reaches of the Indus and several other major rivers, making it suitable for hydroelectricity and wind-power projects.
The New Humanitarian
What’s really behind Colombia’s protests 25 September 2020
Project Syndicate
A viral video of police brutality set off the recent demonstrations, but at their heart are issues of inequality, neglect, and corruption.
The Environmental Consequences of Political Repression 17 September 2020
Carbon Brief
US sees ‘alarming’ increase in combined heatwaves and droughts
Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa and the military junta that facilitated his rise to power have not done much to change the country since driving the aging despot Robert Mugabe from power in 2017. Zimbabwe is now a poster child for the link between authoritarianism and environmental degradation.
23 September 2020 Climate change has driven an “alarming” increase in the number of years with both heatwaves and droughts across the US over the past five decades, a study finds.
Frontiers
Do Differences in Livestock Management Practices Influence Environmental Impacts? 16 September 2020 Herbivore-carnivore interactions are fundamental to grassland ecosystem functionality and to the human cultures that have long depended on these ecosystems for their nutrition. However, a large literature has developed during the past century indicating that animal agriculture is responsible for numerous negative environmental impacts. In this paper, I review literature on some of the environmental impacts of two different livestock management approaches, industrial-conventional (IC) management and regenerative-multi-paddock (RM) management. I consider the null hypothesis that the environmental impacts of ruminant livestock production are independent of the approach used to manage animals and grazing lands.
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Human and Environmental Health The world’s supply of fresh water, crucial for health and preventing the spread COVID19, is at risk About three in 10 people worldwide do not have access to safe drinking water from a home faucet, according to a World Health Organization report published in 2017 - and more than 4.5 billion people lack sanitary toilet facilities. Dirty water sickens and kills millions of people annually as a result of diarrhoea and waterborne diseases; according to the WHO report, roughly 361,000 children under the age of five die every year due to diarrhoea. Globally, only 60% of households have both water and soap for handwashing which is a first line of defense against the spread of viral diseases such as COVID-19. And relatively few hospitals and healthcare facilities have complete hygienic package of running water, adequate toilets, waste disposal, and handwashing equipment. Because substances readily dissolve into water (which has been dubbed the universal solvent), it is often where pollutants end up. Aquifers (layers of permeable rock that serve as reservoirs for ground water), rivers, and tap water can all become potentially dangerous conduits for the chemical and bacterial markers of their surroundings: lead from pipes; industrial solvents from manufacturing facilities; mercury from unlicensed gold mines; viruses from animal waste; and nitrates and pesticides from farm fields. The world’s ecosystems are at risk from the degradation and extraction of water. Harmful algal blooms, fuelled by increased amounts of fertilizers, are a growing global menace killing fish, turning away tourists, contaminating drinking water, and depressing property values. Water withdrawals and unsustainable development have also taken a toll; large lakes such as Lake Chad, with a basin shared by five countries in Africa’s Sahel region, are drying up. Lake Chad has lost most of its water during the past half century, according to a report published by NASA Earth Observatory in 2017, and spans less than one-tenth of the area it covered as of the 1960s. Fresh water provided by Lake Chad is the lifeblood of more than 30 million people, according to the report. Important marsh ecosystems are also declining as much as half of the world’s wetlands have been filled in, and the rate of wetland loss has accelerated in recent decades. In addition, dams have been constructed that slice rivers into segments, a habitat fragmentation that has decimated salmon in the Pacific Northwest in the US and fisheries in the Mekong River Basin in Asia. Related insight areas: The Great Reset, Real Estate, Global Health, Migration, Future of Food, Environment and Natural Resource Security, Africa, Mining and Metals, Agriculture, Food and Beverage, Behavioural Sciences, Air Pollution, Climate Change, International Security
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Latest knowledge World Food Programme
World Resources Institute
A desert turned oasis
Using the Ocean As a Tool for Global Economic Recovery
02 October 2020
15 September 2020 Water yields income and peace for herders, farmers and refugees in Kenya. A few years ago, this land lay bare. Rainwater harvesting has transformed the land.
A new report commissioned by the High Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy proposes a roadmap for economic recovery from COVID-19 that utilizes opportunities in the ocean economy and ensures investments help catalyze progress towards a sustainable ocean economy.
South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA)
Powering agriculture: Unlocking Africa’s next green revolution 25 September 2020
World Economic Forum
A recipe for a green and just COVID-19 recovery
The economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbate uncertainty around the future of work in Africa.
11 September 2020 The Mayor of Milan Giuseppe Sala presents the vision of the C40 Global Mayors task force: green jobs, resilient infrastructure and affordable, healthy housing.
World Resources Institute
Forests Near or Far Can Protect Water for Cities 23 September 2020 Forests everywhere alter the movement, quality and availability of water. The world’s urban leaders need to account for the role of forests in securing clean water for residents and the agricultural lands that cities rely on. Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
Recovery, Resilience, and Adaptation: India From 2020 to 2030 21 September 2020 The coronavirus pandemic has exacerbated existing geoeconomic, geopolitical, and strategic fault lines. Albeit widespread, the coronavirus has impacted countries differently, which are differentially equipped to deal with its consequences. While developed economies can afford to prioritize surviving the pandemic and getting back to prepandemic living standards, emerging economies like India must treat recovery as a necessary opportunity to remedy the long-standing problems with their economies. If left untreated, these problems could precipitate into other crises and might keep India from capitalizing on opportunities that lie outside its borders. World Economic Forum
How to drive investment into sustainable infrastructure 17 September 2020 A new labelling system will mean investors can trust their money is going to projects that contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals.
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References 1. Energy and Water
4. Valuing Water
Soil Salinity and Food Security in India, Frontiers, www.frontiersin.org
There’s a better way forward than sending Afghans home to conflict, The New Humanitarian, www.thenewhumanitarian.org Nature Is Our Common Ground for a Green Recovery, Project Syndicate, www.project-syndicate.org Ecological Risk Assessment of Heavy Metals in the Soil at a Former Painting Industry Facility, Frontiers, www.frontiersin.org Why we need international cooperation now more than ever, World Economic Forum, www.weforum.org Governing the Ganges and Brahmaputra: Beyond Reductionist Hydrology, Observer Research Foundation, www.orfonline.org We Need All Hands On Deck to Close Gender Pay Gaps, Center for Global Development, www.cgdev.org Expert Panel: Informality and COVID-19 in South Asia, World Bank, www.youtube.com
Critical Agents of Change at Earth’s Surface , EOS, eos.org The health of Asia’s rivers lies both in the cities and on the farms, Asian Development Bank, blogs.adb.org Water Use for Energy Production and Conversion in Hebei Province, China, Frontiers, www.frontiersin.org How to cut the carbon footprint of online shopping, World Economic Forum, www.weforum.org Evaluation of groundwater potential of bedrock aquifers in Geological Sheet 223 Ilorin, Nigeria, using geo-electric sounding, SpringerNature, link.springer.com
2. Agriculture and Water Impact From planting to natural regeneration: best approaches to tree growing, Center for International Forestry Research, www.youtube.com Nearing Desertification, Marathwada Isn’t Giving Up Water-Guzzling Sugarcane. Here’s Why, IndiaSpend, www.indiaspend.com Geoelectrical investigation of groundwater potential and vulnerability of Oraifite, Anambra State, Nigeria, SpringerNature, link.springer.com Forest margins may be more resilient to climate change than previously thought, Science Daily, www.sciencedaily.com Governors' Seminar: Developing Asia beyond the COVID-19 Pandemic, Asian Development Bank (ADB), www.youtube.com Building a 100 Percent Clean Economy: Opportunities for an Equitable, Low-Carbon Recovery, World Resources Institute, www.wri.org Mainstreaming Climate Change Adaptation in Kenya: Lessons from Makueni and Wajir Counties, World Resources Institute, www.wri.org
5. Water Data and Technology A Water-Energy-Food Nexus approach for conducting trade-off analysis: Morocco's phosphate industry in the Khouribga region, Policy Center For The New South, www.policycenter.ma Assessing farmers' contribution to greenhouse gas emission and the impact of adopting climate-smart agriculture on mitigation, SpringerOpen, ecologicalprocesses.springeropen.com The Paleoecology of Microplastic Contamination, Frontiers, www.frontiersin.org Streaming a message: Flipflopi to sail across Lake Victoria in another historic journey, United Nations Environment, www.unenvironment.org Irrigation Performance Assessment Using Satellite Remote Sensing: Insights from Tajikistan, Asian Development Bank, www.adb.org Emerging Infectious Disease, the Household Built Environment Characteristics, and Urban Planning, RAND Corporation, www.rand.org
3. Climate Change and Ecosystems
Acknowledgements
Climate resilient and empowering livelihoods for women , ReliefWeb, reliefweb.int Impacts of Marine Litter on Mediterranean Reef Systems: From Shallow to Deep Waters, Frontiers, www.frontiersin.org Afghanistan and Tajikistan step up environmental cooperation, United Nations Environment, www.unenvironment.org Sugar and Water in Pakistan, London School of Economics and Political Science, blogs.lse.ac.uk Assessment of groundwater potentiality using geospatial techniques in Purba Bardhaman district, West Bengal, SpringerNature, link.springer.com Madhav Datt on tackling the climate crisis, Overseas Development Institute, www.youtube.com
Cover and selected images throughout supplied by Reuters. Some URLs have been shortened for readability. Please follow the URL given to visit the source of the article. A full URL can be provided on request.
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