Two billion people around the world are living in water-stressed areas and the climate crisis is only serving to make this worse by prolonging droughts and intensifying floods. With water use and management accounting for up to 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions, it is imperative that governments and water companies work together to achieve net zero. This means transitioning to renewable energy, mitigating their carbon emissions and reducing the nitrous oxide and methane emissions that come from wastewater treatment.
In the UK in 2020, water companies spear-headed the industry’s low-carbon journey with the publication of the Net Zero 2030 Routemap – the world’s first detailed sector-wide plan to reach net zero on operational emissions by 2030.
In this event, Water UK will host a discussion with UK representatives and colleagues from around the world to discuss how they are tackling the dual challenge of reducing emissions and ensuring water resilience. The event will explore how water companies are tackling the race to net zero, how they are ensuring resilience is embedded into these plans and how they plan to progress once they’ve achieved the ‘easy wins’.