Sunday 22^nd March is #WorldWaterDay, a United Nations Observance, focussing on the importance of fresh water and raising awareness of the 1 in 3 people globally (2.2 billion) living without access to safe water.

A core focus of World Water Day is to support the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 6: water and sanitation for all by 2030.

World Water Day 2020 is focussed on water and climate change and how the two are inextricably linked.  The campaign highlights how our use of water will help reduce floods, droughts, scarcity and pollution, and will help fight climate change itself.

Changes we can all make

Hundreds of thousands of people are taking individual action on climate change as part of the UN’s #ActNow campaign.  Here are five changes we can all make today:

Take five minute showers: water scarcity already affects four out of ten people.  With 80% of wastewater never being treated, taking shorter showers is a great way to save this precious resource.

Eat more plant-based meals: dietary changes, featuring plant-based foods and sustainable animal-sources food, could reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 8.0 gigatonnes a year of carbon dioxide equivalent.

Don’t throw away edible food: an estimated 1/3 of all food produced globally is lost or goes to waste.  Reducing your food wastage reduces demand on agriculture which is one of the biggest water consumers.

Turn off tech: currently 90% of power generation is water-intensive.  By powering down our devices when we are not using them, the less energy needs to be produced.

Shop sustainably: a typical pair of jeans takes 10,000 litres of water to produce, equal to what a person drinks in 10 years.  Sourcing our goods from responsible sources can have a big impact on the consumption of water and other essential resources.

HWM is happy to support World Water Day and raise awareness of the threat climate change poses to water supplies.

To learn more about #WorldWaterDay please click here.