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The last time the world gathered to discuss global water issues was the year the first \u201cStar Wars\u201d film was released.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In the 46 years since, the global population has doubled<\/a> \u2014 yet the challenges facing the health of, and access to, freshwater resources have been largely overshadowed by the climate and biodiversity crises.\u00a0<\/p>\n This week, the United Nations is hosting a global conference on fresh water \u2014 and not a moment too soon, according to one expert.\u00a0<\/p>\n Conservation News spoke with Derek Vollmer, a freshwater scientist at Conservation International, about the struggles that freshwater ecosystems now face, how solutions in one place may not work in others, and what must happen next to secure clean supplies of humanity\u2019s most precious resource.<\/p>\n Conservation News:<\/strong> <\/strong><\/span>This is the first global water conference in a generation, what\u2019s the backdrop?<\/strong>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The U.N. estimates that by 2030<\/a>, demand for fresh water will be 40 percent greater than supply. How did we get here?\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n As urban areas have expanded, we\u2019ve gotten very good at engineering freshwater ecosystems to fit our needs, but in many cases we\u2019ve gone too far. Results range from extracting too much water<\/a> from rivers, to creating \u2018dead zones<\/a>\u2019 from agricultural waste, to destroying a third<\/a> of the world\u2019s wetlands since 1970.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Fish, mollusks and other freshwater species have declined by 84 percent since then<\/a>\u00a0\u2014 that\u2019s twice the rate of land or marine animals.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n And because freshwater ecosystems are relatively small \u2014 at least compared to oceans \u2014 any disruption can have an outsized, and lasting, impact. Climate change will only put more pressure on freshwater ecosystems.<\/span><\/p>\n How will climate change make it worse?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Water managers have been slow to recognize that historic rainfall data is becoming increasingly outdated<\/a>; past records are no longer reliable predictors of the future. This is a wakeup call: Our water management systems are not set up to handle the variability and uncertainty of climate change.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n To become more resilient, we need to protect freshwater ecosystems and prioritize engagement with local communities that are vulnerable to water threats. Traditionally, water management has been dominated by infrastructure like dams, seawalls and water treatment plants. We need to pivot from an overreliance on engineering, which has transformed \u2014 if not destroyed \u2014 many ecosystems, to solutions that work with nature<\/a> to protect freshwater resources and provide buffers<\/a> against the effects of climate change, like flooding and drought.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n For example, companies that want to offset their water usage by \u201creplenishing\u201d that amount can\u2019t simply tally up their consumption and invest in projects anywhere in the world. They need to engage in the watersheds where they are consuming water, directly or through their supply chain, and this begins with understanding the local challenges and working with other stakeholders to design lasting solutions. For example, a water-saving project may not be useful if issues like pollution or flooding are more pertinent.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n What needs to happen next?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n For example, an effort called the Freshwater Challenge<\/a> will be launched at the U.N. Water Conference to bring together eight countries that are committing to restore 300,000 kilometers (186,000 miles) of river and 350 million hectares (865 million acres) of inland waters by 2030. Conservation International has committed to the challenge; we\u2019ll help participating countries identify freshwater ecosystem restoration priorities that are essential for supporting biodiversity, adapting to climate change and reducing the risk of water-related disasters. We\u2019ll also support data gathering through tools like the Freshwater Health Index<\/a>, which helps governments, communities and businesses better analyze the benefits and risks of human activities \u2014 such as developing dams or increasing agriculture \u2014 before making big water-related decisions.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Mary Kate McCoy is a staff writer at Conservation International. Want to read more stories like this? Sign up for email updates<\/a>. Also, please consider supporting our critical work<\/a>.
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