WATER POSITIVE: LEVERAGING THE BETWEEN CO2 AND WATER TO FIGH

Climate change has emerged as one of the most urgent global challenges, capturing widespread attention in recent years. At its core, climate change is intimately connected to global warming, which signifies the long-term escalation of Earth’s average surface temperature. This phenomenon has unleashed a cascade of consequences that pose significant threats to our planet and societies. With escalating greenhouse gas emissions, largely driven by human activities, our climate system is undergoing profound transformations with far-reaching impacts. It is crucial to recognize the intricate relation between CO 2 emissions and water management and prioritize the interdependence of these critical aspects in addressing the climate crisis. Water resources, which are essential for life, are increasingly affected by climate change. Droughts and floods are becoming more frequent, leading to severe consequences: droughts result in water scarcity, crop failure, and ecological imbalances, while floods cause property damage, displacement, and death. Addressing these challenges and managing water resources sustainably is crucial to mitigate the impacts of climate change. As we strive to sustain development and prevent the economy from slowing down, we consistently emit CO 2 through an increase in production. The cycle seems endless: despite the fact that almost everything we consume today claims to be low or zero in emissions, global emissions continue to escalate.

Many of the solutions proposed to date, such as the transition to renewable energy sources, energy efficiency, the conservation of forests and ecosystems, and sustainable agriculture, are merely palliative options that minimize our impact. Despite these efforts, we continue to set new greenhouse gas emission records. A remarkable solution to this problem is an economy that feeds on the carbon we generate, including the carbon produced since the first industrial revolution — an economy known as a “Carbon Economy”.

The carbon economy encompasses an innovative approach that capitalizes on the potential of carbon, transforming it into valuable resources for diverse sectors, thereby turning the problem into part of the solution. This paradigm relies on the use of carbon capture and utilization (CCU) technologies, which involve capturing carbon and utilizing it as a feedstock in sectors such as food production, fertilizers, building materials, lab-grown diamonds, polymers, plastics, and water purification. Each application can consume a part of the CO 2 that needs to be removed, about 500 Gt from the existing stock of CO 2 in the atmosphere. This remains a formidable task that requires collective action , such as implementing a learning-by-doing policy to decrease costs and the creation of “carbon negative markets,” as well as commercial action , such as creating financial securities that accelerate investment in off takes.

The scalability of CCU (Carbon capture, utilization) is directly tied to the size of the sector, enabling a greater contribution to address the issue. Notably, the water sector assumes a pivotal role as the backbone of the global economy, presenting the immense potential for effectively utilizing thousands of tons of CO 2 captured from the atmosphere. Specifically, the water sector can leverage CCU technologies for critical processes such as wastewater treatment, desalination, and water reuse. The sector’s competitiveness is further enhanced by the fact that implementing decentralized CCU approaches and utilizing carbon on-site eliminates the need for carbon distribution and storage. Globally, more than 1.1 billion cubic metres of water are managed each day through processes like wastewater treatment, desalination, and reuse. The captured CO 2 from the atmosphere can be utilized in various applications within