By Andrew Aijuka
It’s a chilly morning in my home district of Rukiga in southwestern Uganda. It’s a good moment because it’s catch-up time with my parents, it’s December-so it’s a festive season, but I also am buzzing with optimism and ideas after returning from the 28th Conference of Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP 28) in Dubai a couple of days back.
However, this time something strange is at home; water scarcity. Our home had been disconnected from the area’s piped water supply, causing undue stress for my aging parents.
Although they can afford to pay local youth to fetch water for home use, the home environment must rely on rainwater.
Such a predicament highlights the centrality of water access and underscores the need for robust and resilient water infrastructure systems that can withstand unforeseen disruptions.
This situation reminded me of one of my key takeaways from COP28; water is an indispensable natural resource at the heart of all human activities and is vital to the earth’s ecosystem.
When water gets on the agenda, everyone pays attention
COP28 witnessed the first Global Stocktake (GST). This refers to a process for countries and stakeholders to see where they’re collectively making progress towards meeting the goals of the Paris Climate Change Agreement – and where they’re not.
Also, discussions on the progress on the Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA); which is a 2015 Paris Agreement establishment to enhance adaptative capacity, strengthen resilience, and reduce vulnerability to climate change, took center stage at COP28. Both the GST and GGA focused on water-related issues.
The good water and climate-related news is that the outcome of GST recognizes the crucial role that water systems and water-related ecosystems play. Also, one of the most significant moments of the conference was the adoption of the GGA framework, established eight years after the decision to set a global adaptation target. The framework’s first thematic target is water, making COP28 a historic moment.
Dr. David Cooper a water expert opines that there is an intrinsic link between water and climate change. “Many people in the world are feeling the impact of climate change through water-related events such as floods, and mudslides caused by heavy rains, and droughts in certain regions,” he explained during a side event discussion at the Global Alliance for a Sustainable Planet pavilion in Dubai.
According to a report released in October 2023 by the World Health Organisation, reports; 3.6 billion globally are living in areas highly vulnerable to climate change.
Water-related disasters, such as floods and storms, account for almost 90% of the most severe natural disasters this is according to the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE)
Between 2010 and 2020, floods and extreme rainfalls surged by over 50%, four times more frequently than in 1980. Also, between 2010 and 2020, other extreme events, including storms, droughts, and heat waves, have escalated compared to the 1980s.
Approximately 2 billion people worldwide lack access to clean and safe drinking water, and roughly 3.6 billion people, accounting for 46% of the global population, do not have adequate sanitation services.
According to forecasts, by 2050, half of the world’s population will be living in water-stressed regions.
Financial Commitments: Is this a Game Changer?
During the COP28 Presidency’s Food, Agriculture, and Water Day held on 10th December 2023, the UAE, the United Kingdom, and multilateral development banks made financial commitments to tackle water-related challenges.
Some of the pledges include USD 150 million for supporting water-related solutions, USD 133.6 million for the Adaptation Fund, USD 129.3 for the Least Developed Countries Fund, and USD 31 million for the Special Climate Change Fund (SCCF). Despite these commitments, water still lagged behind the health sector receiving USD 2.7 billion in pledges – something that analysts say highlights the magnitude of effort needed to attract water financing.
Water resources across the world are facing negative impacts like pollution due to climate change. This is at a time when the 2030 deadline for the attainment of SDGs is fast approaching.
According to UNICEF’s latest data on Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH), 1 in 3 children is experiencing severe water scarcity, and around 236 million minors/children face water vulnerability worldwide.
Dr. Calist Tindimugaya, a Commissioner at Uganda’s Ministry of Water and Environment recognizes the importance of water security. “This is critical for ensuring sustainable development as the world’s population continues to grow, while climate change continues to affect water access in many communities, particularly in the global south,” he observes, adding that: “There is a growing concern about the future of water availability.”
Water and ecosystems have great potential for climate change adaptation and mitigation. As a result, freshwater was for the first time on the COP agenda. Here, parties are encouraged to integrate water into their adaptation efforts to protect, conserve, and restore water and water-related ecosystems, such as river basins, aquifers, and lakes.
According to The Transboundary Water Cooperation Coalition, a diverse, multi-stakeholder coalition of actors from Chile, Dominican Republic, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Morocco, Namibia, The Netherlands, Panama, Senegal, Slovenia, Switzerland, Uganda; Transboundary water cooperation in climate change adaptation is not just about managing water: “It’s about ensuring that countries are prepared to face the future in a unified and strategic manner.”
This story was produced by InfoNile
