WASTE MANAGEMENT IN ACTION - WASTEWATER
Recycled water helping to combat climate change STRENGTHENING AUSTRALIA’S WATER SUPPLY IS A KEY STEP TOWARDS SUSTAINABILITY. VEOLIA IS HOPING ITS WASTEWATER RECYCLING AND RE-USE SERVICE WILL HELP REDUCE THE IMPACTS OF WHAT IT CALLS A “GLOBAL CLIMATE EMERGENCY”.
In 2020 alone, Veolia supplied 95 million people with clean drinking water.
T
he Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) recently released assessment report highlights what it refers to as a “reality check”. The report provides an in-depth detailing of previous, current and future trends of the global climate. It states the growing effects of climate change, as a result of climbing greenhouse gas emissions, will be felt across every inhabitable region, worldwide. Water, waste, and energy management specialist Veolia is at the forefront of Australian and global efforts to reduce emissions as well as the world’s carbon footprint, developing
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sustainable methods to secure a steady water supply. Fresh water represents just 2.5 per cent of the total available water across the globe. Factors such as global warming, rapid population growth and urbanization will significantly affect the worlds’ ability to maintain a reliable water supply, according to the report. Daniel Spiller, Veolia Chief Operating Officer Water, says the time for action is now. “Veolia believes that there is a global climate emergency. Our vision of ecological transformation is all about how we can contribute
towards rectifying what could be considered generational damage to our environment,” Daniel says. He says this vision has led to increased innovation in relation to Australia’s national water supply. “We don’t see anything as ‘wastewater’. Water is a resource, and it should be recycled and reused in order to become sustainable,” Daniel says. “We are in a country where the effects of climate change can vary from location to location. There is a growing shortage of water in many sites across Australia, so expertise and technology have now become vital aspects of optimising a water supply.”
