Climate change will radically affect the distribution of water on our planet, causing more frequent and intense droughts, floods and heatwaves, and exacerbating underlying issues such as poor water quality and unequal access.
Solving these challenges can only be done in unity; through strategic partnerships and participation from a variety of stakeholders.
We spoke to Waterkeeper Alliance Executive Director, Marc Yaggi, to find out more.
Tell us about your company:
Waterkeeper Alliance is a global movement that unites more than 300 locally based clean water advocacy organizations and focuses citizen action on issues that affect our waterways, from pollution to climate change.
Waterkeeper Alliance’s locally based clean-water organizations now patrol and protect nearly 3 million square miles of watersheds across the globe for approximately three-quarters of a billion people and counting.
Drawn from different languages, cultures, religions, and legal and political frameworks, these dedicated women and men are fighting for a world where everyone can drink from their local water source without fear of ingesting toxins; where people can catch and cook fish without fear of being poisoned; and where children are nurtured by water, not sickened.
Why is water scarcity such a global concern?
No part of our lives is unaffected by water – we need it to live and to thrive. In all of its forms, it’s essential to our atmosphere, essential to the air that we breathe – water is the most important resource that we have.
And yet: more than 2 billion people worldwide lack access to clean water and basic sanitation. 3.5 million children die each year from water-related diseases. By 2025, half of the world’s population will be living in water-stressed areas.
What impact do you think climate change has on water security?
Climate change is a threat multiplier – the effects of climate change exacerbate challenges like water security, food security, public health, immigration, political stability, energy security, and more. Of these, water security is paramount.
Without clean, healthy, and abundant water, we cannot live and thrive. The interconnected nature of climate change and water has never been more evident – increasing droughts, storms, and water quality issues continue to affect populations around the world, often the most vulnerable.
Experts predict that increasing declines in surface water will have the greatest impact on the least developed countries, severely jeopardizing water supplies needed for human consumption, agriculture, energy production, and economic development.
If you could change one thing about the way we use water currently, what would it be?
We need to stop taking clean water for granted. We turn the tap on and off with the unconscious expectation it will be there when we need it. Yet at the same time as we rely on the link between water and all forms of life – including our own – our species is squandering and destroying this indispensable resource at a frightening pace.
How does your organisation help mitigate the problem?
For over 20 years, Waterkeeper Alliance has been equipping communities around the globe to fight for clean water, standing on the shoulders of a movement originated in the mid 1960s to hold polluters accountable for the degradation of our waterways.
Our key strategic priorities are to: strengthen Waterkeeper groups and grow a sustainable and diverse movement; amplify the collective voices of the Waterkeeper movement across the world; and fortify, defend, and enforce clean water policies and laws for communities and countries in which we work.
What is your vision for the future of water?
The Waterkeeper movement is united for clean, healthy, and abundant water for all people and the planet.
Do you have an article that you would like to share? Submit your article here or keep up with the latest news from the water industry and wastewater industry by subscribing to our weekly newsletter.
