Just add water

22 April 2016 By Katrina Hamlin Follow @KatrinaHamlin

The Paris agreement global leaders are formally signing on Earth Day doesn’t mention water once. But the world’s dirtiest industries are also the thirstiest. Cutting CO2 emissions needs wiser H2O regulation and pricing. The energy sector will be especially vulnerable.

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April 22 is Earth Day, an annual event since 1970 with the aim of celebrating the planet’s environment and raising awareness about pollution.

Leaders from more than 150 countries are to sign the climate change accord struck at the United Nations’ 21st Conference of Parties – or COP 21 – held in Paris last December.

Almost 15 percent of annual global freshwater withdrawals is used to help generate electricity, according to the International Renewable Energy Agency.

Global demand for electricity is expected to grow by 70 percent by 2035, according to the UN World Water Development Report 2015. Increasing electricity production would likely translate into a 20 percent increase in freshwater withdrawals, while overall water consumption would increase by 85 percent, according to the report.

The electricity sector accounted for around a third of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions in 2014, according to the United States’ Environmental Protection Agency.

Around 300 representatives of international organizations, governments and water-related institutions have signed the “Paris Pact” on water and adaptation to climate change, released at the COP 21. The document calls for better management of water basins to cope with the impact of climate change.

This is “the first time in the COP history, the issues of freshwater are officially taken into account”, according to the pacts’ creators.

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