CLIMATE ACTION
WATER AS LEVERAGE FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT BY HENK OVINK
Bridging the gaps between communities, experts, policymakers, and financiers in developing a sustainable future for all.
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eventy percent of the world’s surface is covered with water. But only 0.4% of that water is ready for human consumption. Water is also critical for challenges and opportunities of health, biodiversity, and climate, and we see it: 90% of all disasters worldwide are waterrelated. Secretary-General António Guterres says, “This is the time of action but also the time of science and solidarity, of thinking, of understanding, and of partnerships, empathy, and collaboration.” We’re not moving toward this 1.5°C world. And we see it in the impact. More floods and droughts occur every year, and they’re happening everywhere. The cities we invest in are most vulnerable to climate change. We tend to urbanize faster in places that are already risky along our coasts and rivers. And this is why investment capital is more at risk in the next decades. We have lists of cities that hit the bar of $200 billion or almost $300 billion at stake, Miami leading that list. And the world bank and OECD estimated there’s a trillion-dollar cost every year, let alone the risk. There’s a financial and inequality aspect to that because the most vulnerable in these cities live in the most vulnerable places. There’s also a health cost because climate change is increasing health uncertainties. And there’s an environmental aspect with biodiversity loss. And in the heart of all these challenges is water. But at the same time, water can also be part of that solution, mitigating the risk and adapting for a better future. But for that, we have to look at that future more holistically, more sustainably, because if we look ahead, we only replicate the mistakes of the past. There are business cases for debt infrastructure of yesterday, financial business cases with short-term returns. But with every dollar spent, we make ourselves more vulnerable. Instead of continuing with our non-responsive approaches, moving in a reactive “let’s build better”
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approach. We have to become radically proactive, not go from crisis to crisis, but drive catalytic projects forward to build resiliency and sustainability in society. We must start investing in people to capacitate them to implement and deliver on the projects we need. And we know from an economic perspective, if we do that, we maximize opportunities and their impact. Investing in water has a trickle-down effect across all the SDGs. It turns water into a leverage for sustainable development. That means we have to integrate needs and opportunities, work across all scales and interests and take a sustainable perspective. Long-term comprehensive plans need short-term, innovative projects. With inclusive collaborations and a transparent approach, we can build capacity institutionally and individually. We need design and planning to inspire. We need innovative, catalytic, and pragmatic solutions to spur actions. And we need solutions that connect across scales, times, and interests. If we really want to deliver on the promise of the sustainable development goals and the Paris Agreement, we have to move mountains. And changing course will demand inspiration, that political and societal capital that design can bring. That means we have to invest in each other. We have to invest in and trust the process of bringing people together who might disagree, but because they are in a safe space, they can create opportunities that add value. This part of building coalitions and alliances is the culture of the Netherlands and how we deal with water. Dating back over 900 years, we built institutional capacity for safe drinking water, protecting our coast, increasing the capacity of our rivers, opening up our streets to ensure the water can come in and go back to the aquifer. A delta commissioner leads a program to help us be ready for the future and plan our cities accordingly.
