Save Water – It Will Also Help the Climate, Scientists Find Out

A new World Water Day report has laid out solutions to tackling climate warming emissions from water use – and has called on climate change and water specialists to join their efforts in protecting the environment.

“If you save water, you’re saving energy and reducing the greenhouse gases to produce that energy to bring the water,” says Richard Connor, editor of the United Nations report, adding that switching from fossil fuels to green energy saves even more water, creating a virtuous cycle.

Treating wastewater using modern techniques to extract methane from organic matter is also a great solution to limiting emissions, notes the report. This method, already used in some water-scarce countries, has proven to save money and reduce carbon emissions of public utilities by thousands of tonnes.

The report emphasizes that, rather than working on their issues independently, government officials focused on climate change should restructure their strategies and team up with those managing water, in order to more effectively reduce water stress and cut emissions.