Climate change is changing water. Let’s make it a change for the better. That was the objective of the 2022 Global Water Summit in Madrid: mapping out a route to a better future for water through the climate emergency.   

The threat of greater extremes of floods and droughts is a challenge for the water industry but it is also an opportunity. The linkages between water and energy mean that we can fix emissions by fixing water and we can fix water by fixing emissions. These synergies together with the global political commitment for climate action create the potential for transformational change. We as an industry need a strategy to make best use of it.   

We called it water positive zero carbon. It is about looking for new ways to contribute to the wealth and reliability of the world’s freshwater resources while at the same time reducing emissions to mitigate the impact of climate change. It is a complex challenge. It will involve finance, innovation and the evolution of new services. It needs to be understood by utility and industrial water users alike. Everyone across the supply chain has a contribution to make.  

That’s why over 800 industry experts joined us in Madrid fro GWS 2022.  On-line meetings had been good for maintaining relationships but nothing matched the creative energy of face-to-face engagement during an intense two day summit. It is simply the best way of connecting with new people and new ideas to reimagine the future. Delegates left the Summit with a mind buzzing with new possibilities and an enlarged and refreshed professional network.   

For our 2022 GWS we invested to reduce water industry carbon emissions by 800tCO2e (more than double those generated by travel to the event) as part of our commitment to the objectives of the conference. Find out more.