WATER FOR A
SUSTAINABLE WORLD
LEARNING MATERIAL FOR SCHOOLS
WORLD WATER DAY 2015
OUTLINE OF TRAINING MATERIAL
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Introduction
Significance of 2015 World Water Day
Water connects and enables
The water future we want
Conclusion
1. INTRODUCTION
• Water is linked to the
development of all
societies and cultures
• Water flows through the
three dimensions of
sustainable development:
– Economic
– Social
– Environmental
1. INTRODUCTION
• Water is key in achieving:
–
–
–
–
–
–
Poverty reduction
Inclusive growth
Public health
Food security
Lives of dignity for all
Long-lasting harmony with
Earth’s essential
ecosystems
5th Global Prize Winner
Khushneet Bhatia 10 Years, India
UNEP, 21st International Children's Painting
Competition Photo Gallery
1. INTRODUCTION
• Global water demand is influenced by:
–
–
–
–
–
–
Population growth
Urbanization
Industrialization
Food and energy security policies
Macro-economic processes such as trade globalization
Changing diets and increasing consumption
• The competition for water − between water ‘uses’ and water
‘users’ − increases the risk of conflicts
1. INTRODUCTION
Total renewable water
resources per capita per
year, 2013
2. 2015 A UNIQUE YEAR
– World Water Day 2015 focuses
attention on the importance of
water, whilst advocating for
sustainable development
– Deadline for the Millennium
Development Goals (MDGs)
– Defining and adopting new global
Sustainable Development Goals
(SDGs)
– Setting an aspirational and a
realistic vision of water towards
2050
3. WATER CONNECTS AND ENABLES
• Water is essential, finite
and vulnerable
• Water is a driver for
development and enables:
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
Health
Nature
Urbanization
Industry
Energy
Food
Equality
3. WATER IS HEALTH
• Do you know?
– Your body is made of 50-65% water
– You can last weeks without food, but only days
without water
– World Health Organization (WHO) recommends a
minimum of 7.5 liters per person per day
– Regular hand-washing is the most effective way for
removing and preventing the spread of germs which
cause disease
– Out of 7.2 billion people in the world
• 748 million do not have access to an improved source of
drinking water
• 2.5 billion do not use an improved sanitation facility
• Afflicted are mostly the poorest and marginalized populations
3. WATER IS NATURE
• Ecosystems – forests, wetlands, lakes, rivers,
aquifers, coastal zones and grassland – lie at the
heart of the global water cycle
• Unsustainable water abstractions and pollution
degrades and weakens the capacity of an
ecosystem to provide water-related services
• ‘Ecosystem-based management’ often
neglected is key in ensuring water long term
sustainability
• Investment in protecting and restoring natural
ecosystems is critical
3. WATER IS URBANIZATION
• 3. 9 billion or 54% of people on the planet now
live in cities, with 30% of all city dwellers residing
in slums. There are challenges exacerbated by
climate change and water related disasters:
– Although MDG target on access to safe drinking
water was met in 2010, progress has not matched
the rapid pace of urbanization
– The situation is grim with regard to sanitation
– 90% of all wastewater in developing countries is
discharged untreated directly into rivers, lakes or
the oceans, causing major environmental and
health risks
– Weak institutions and local governance structures
particularly in response to slum areas
3. WATER IS INDUSTRY
• Some industries are more water-intense than others e.g.
• 10 liters of water are used to make one sheet of paper
• 91 liters are used to make 500 grams of plastic
• Global water demand for manufacturing is expected to
increase by 400% from 2000 to 2050 (mostly in
developing countries), which is much larger than other
sectors
• Technology and smart planning, can reduce the use of
water, and improve the quality of wastewater
3. WATER IS ENERGY
•
Water and energy are natural partners
• Water is required to generate energy
• Energy is required to deliver water
•
•
•
•
80% of power generation is by thermal electricity. Water is
heated to create steam to drive electrical generators
Hydropower accounts for 16% of global electricity production
Although renewable energy (from naturally replenished sources
like sunlight, wind, rain, tides, waves and geothermal) requires
less water it remains marginal at global scale
Desalination still remains energy intensive although in oil and
gas rich Arab States dozens of nuclear-powered plants are
expected to go online in the next two decades
3. WATER IS FOOD
•
•
•
•
•
Globally, almost 870 million people are chronically undernourished
Agriculture is the largest user of water, accounting for 70% of total
withdrawal
By 2050, agriculture will need to produce 60% more food globally, and
100% more in developing countries to achieve food security
Managing water demand in agriculture means increasing agricultural
productivity i.e. more crop per drop of water
Shifting diets from predominantly starch-based to meat and dairy, will
require more water
• Producing 1 kilo of rice, for example, requires about 3,500 liters of
water, while 1 kilo of beef some 15,000 liters
•
Increased intensive crop production can lead to:
•
•
•
•
Depletion of aquifers
Reduced river flows
Degraded wildlife habitats
Salinization
3. WATER IS EQUALITY
•
Key principles for enhancing effective governance include:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Participation
Accountability
Transparency
Equality and fairness
Efficiency and effectiveness
Rule of law
Powerless groups tend to be shut out of not just access to
water but also the processes whereby allocation decisions are
made
Potential inter-state and regional conflicts need to be
managed (158 of the world’s 263 trans-boundary water basins
lack any type of cooperative management framework)
Improved gender equality is a key to boosting water
management and access
3. ADAPTING TO CLIMATE CHANGE
• Climate variability and change will affect both
sides of the freshwater supply and demand
balance (quantity and quality) in several ways:
– Change in quantity in space and time (drought and
floods)
– Increased temperature hence higher evaporation
– Increased transpiration
– Seawater intrusion in coastal aquifers
– Oxygen depletion due to higher water
temperatures
– Higher content of pollutants flowing into water
bodies
– Impacts biodiversity and ecosystem services
3. ADAPTING TO CLIMATE CHANGE
• Responses to climate variability and change will
include:
– Adaptive management
• Strategies for low or no-regret solutions
• Building resilient communities
• Continuous learning
– Knowledge generation for policy formulation
• Generating data and actionable information to
support scientific knowledge
• Exploration and support for new forms of data
collection and processing e.g. earth observation,
remote sensing and geographic information
systems, mobile technology
• Human and institutional capacity development
4. THE WATER FUTURE WE WANT
3rd Global Prize Winner
Hock Kah Chang 15 Years,
Malaysia
UNEP, 21st International
Children's Painting Competition
Photo Gallery
4. THE WATER FUTURE WE WANT
• The water future we want and vision 2050 is
shaped by the Rio+20 Outcome Document,
and Post 2015 Agenda documents. The
following aspects are key:
– Water and related resources are managed in
support of human well-being and ecosystem
integrity
– Sufficient and safe water is made available
to meet every person’s basic needs
– Water infrastructure and service delivery are
financed
– Wastewater is treated as a resource (energy,
nutrients and freshwater for reuse)
4. THE WATER FUTURE WE WANT
– Human settlements develop in
harmony with the natural
water cycle
– Integrated approaches to
water resources development,
management and use are
adopted
– Water is governed in a
participatory way that draws
on the full potential of women
and men
– Water management
organizations are
knowledgeable and
transparent
5. CONCLUSION
• In this lecture you have learnt the following:
– How water permeates through the three dimensions of sustainable
development
– Significance of World Water Day 2015
– The thematic areas highlighting water as an essential, finite, and
vulnerable resources in relation to sustainable development
– Challenges of water as a driver in sustainable development (including
climate change)
– Aspects of the water future we want
Congratulations you are now Water Wise!!
Did you know that 80% of your brain is water!
The follow up saying is “use your water wisely”
Do you want to learn more about water?
Visit www.cap-net.org
“Empowering Individuals, Enabling Environments”