News
New Report Calls For Major Changes To Water Usage
A new global report from the United Nations (UN), launched on World Water Day (March 22nd), is calling for a major change in the way in which the earth’s limited water resources are used and reused.
Steps must now be taken to address the issue of increasing water stress while improving the efficiency of water use in agriculture and industry, with action including improving the resilience of livelihoods, reducing the drivers of climate change and enabling people to adapt to the effects of climate change.
The report goes on to warn that climate change will have an impact on the availability, quality and quantity of water required to meet basic human needs, therefore undermining the basic rights to safe drinking water and sanitation for billions around the world.
Ensuring safe drinking water and sanitation for all must be guaranteed within ten years, set out in Sustainable Development Goal 6 (part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development) – but this challenge is considerable, given that 2.2 billion people do not have access to safely managed drink water at the moment. And 55 per cent of the global population doesn’t have safely managed sanitation.
Antonio Guterres, UN secretary-general, called on stakeholders to increase climate action and make more investments in strong adaptation measures to bolster water sustainability.
“Water is the primary medium through which we perceive the effects of climate disruption, from extreme weather events, such as droughts and floods, to glacial melting, saltwater intrusion and sea level rise,” he said, adding that investments in healthy watersheds and water infrastructure must now be urgently scaled up.
And 2020 and the COP26 in Glasgow (set to take place in November) must be used to “bend the emissions curve”, creating a more secure foundation for sustainability with regards to water.
As a company, there’s a lot you can do to improve your water footprint and change how you use this precious resource of ours – and the added benefit of this is that you’ll be able to reduce your water bills at the same time.
Improving your current consumption should perhaps be the first step you take, prioritising the detection and repair of any water leaks you may find on site. If you can, fit low-flow restrictions on all taps, invest in greener appliances like toilets and dishwashers, and change your landscaping so the site doesn’t have such water-intensive planting.
A water audit of your bills can help you see what your current usage is so you’re better able to identify areas for improvement. And you may also find automatic meter reading technology of use so you can monitor your water consumption and spot issues as and when they happen.
If you’d like to find out more about reducing water consumption and what you and your business can do, get in touch with us at H2o Building Services today.