The United Nations (UN) recently hosted the 27^th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP27) in Egypt. Given that the UN’s sixth Sustainable Development Goal (SDG 6) is centred around access to clean water and sanitation, it was exciting to see that water was featured prominently at COP27. For the first time, COP incorporated water into its official agenda by exploring the climate-water nexus. This is a connection that those in the water sector, including organizations like Canadian Water Network (CWN), are acutely aware of.

That is why CWN welcomes the Stockholm International Water Institute’s (SIWI) new report, The essential drop to net-zero: Unpacking freshwater’s role in climate change mitigation. The report explains how the journey toward climate security requires massive, cross-sectoral efforts to improve water management.

CWN’s climate specialist, Jessica Akande, drew out some key messages from the report that resonated the most with her. These include the:

• Importance of conserving and preserving freshwater resources, given that freshwater resources impact all other aspects of water management (e.g., quality, security, scarcity, equitable access, etc.). This message aligns with one of the key messages of UN’s Biodiversity Conference (COP15) that’s currently taking place in Montreal. One of the key messages from COP15 is that unsustainable biodiversity loss can be attributed, in part, to freshwater degradation. According to the UN, it is important that freshwater quality be preserved and improved to help achieve SDG 6.
• Value of maximizing synergies and co-benefits. For example, implementing nature-based solutions to mitigate climate change can deliver multiple benefits for people and the environment. Moving forward, this will be important in the water sector as we identify how climate change adaptation and mitigation actions can benefit other sectors. Through case studies, CWN is currently exploring ways to identify actions that benefit water utilities with the added benefits to other sectors, people, and the environment
• Role of integrated and cross-sectoral approaches in implementing water-smart climate mitigation. The term “cross-sectoral” encompasses collaboration across departments (e.g., water, land, energy, etc.) as well as collaboration between societal sectors like state, civil society and economy. Through CWN’s Strategic Sharing Groups, we provide a space for water utility managers and municipalities to share common challenges and success stories to foster integrated approaches to individual challenges and adapt the information gleaned from the case studies to their needs.
• Ability to access international climate finance for water-related mitigation measures. This is provided that mitigation measures are incorporated into nationally determined contributions, as well as other national and sectoral instruments. The importance of having access to climate financing is increasing as the impacts of climate change from flooding, drought, heatwaves, and ice storms are becoming more intense and frequent. It will be beneficial to understand how these funds, if available in Canada, can be utilized to address damages to water infrastructure and disruption of water utility services.
• Need to accurately account for GHG emissions from water and wastewater utilities. This can strengthen emissions reporting and support integration into national GHG inventories. Data collection and analysis are important in identifying areas to cut GHG emissions and modify services to adjust to GHG targets across all sectors.

Overall, the SIWI’s report does a great job of highlighting the role of water in climate change mitigation and indicates that knowledge gaps still need to be filled. While SIWI’s full report is not currently available, individual chapters are available here.

Moving forward in the Canadian context

Leading up to COP27, the Government of Canada announced its aim to new nationally determined contribution to cut emissions by 40-45 percent below 2005 levels by 2030. The Government of Canada also shared its 2030 Emissions Reduction Plan, which aims to provide a credible roadmap to achieve Canada’s 2030 target and put us on a path towards net-zero emissions by 2050.

CWN is actively working with its members to support these national commitments. Through our Net-Zero Strategic Sharing Group, we will be exploring climate mitigation measures that can be implemented by municipalities and utilities. We will also be discussing data collection and application, as it relates to water, through our Levels of Service Strategic Sharing Group. At the international scale, CWN will be co-leading the Global Water Research Network’s Community of Practice (CoP) on net-zero.

To learn more about CWN’s involvement with the Global Water Research Network, contact CWN’s CEO Nicola Crawhall at [email protected]

To learn more about CWN’s Net-Zero Strategic Sharing Group, contact CWN’s program advisor, Jessica Akande, at [email protected]

To learn more about CWN’s Levels of Service Strategic Sharing Group, contact CWN’s senior program advisor, Katina Tam, at [email protected]