Water Aid urges government to pledge one third of international climate finance to local communities
Charity, Water Aid, has urged the UK government to ensure that at least one third of its committed international climate finance is channelled to locally-led adaptation projects that meet the needs of communities impacted by climate change.
In a report launched ahead of World Water Day, Water Aid said neglect of the impact of climate change on water supplies was threatening to put back progress on bringing clean water to by decades. It said “urgent action” was needed to help the world’s poorest communities adjust to changing weather patterns.
The report: “Turn the tide: The state of the world’s water 2021” describes how people are losing access to clean water as longer droughts dry up sources, and landslides take out water pumps. Water Aid said: “Investing in water systems that provide a reliable supply whatever the weather, is a frontline defence against the impact of climate change.”
According to the report: “Currently only 5% of total global climate funding is spent on helping countries adapt to their changing climate, and that money is not targeted at the communities most vulnerable to climate change.” It said investment in ensuring a reliable and safe water source for everyone was “completely inadequate to the growing crisis,” with some of the most vulnerable countries receiving only $1 a year per person.
Climate change, Water Aid said, acts as a threat multiplier, exacerbating problems caused by poor management of water resources, lack of political will, and inadequate investment.
WaterAid’s chief executive, Tim Wainwright, said: “Unless communities have access to a reliable source of water, people’s health will suffer, and they’ll be burdened with spending more and more time searching for water, taking away the opportunity to create a better life and escape poverty. Governments around the world need to step up now, commit to reductions and recognise the critical role clean water has in helping communities cope with climate change and recovering quickly from related extreme weather events.”
▪ HRH The Prince of Wales’s Sustainable Markets Initiative has launched a drive to provide reliable and sustainable water sources in countries that are battling the devastating effects of the climate crisis.
The so-called Resilient Water Accelerator will aim to to protect 50 million people from climate and health threats with clean water and provide reliable and sustainable water sources by 2030. It is part of the Sustainable Markets Initiative’s coalition of global organisations in its Water & Climate Taskforce.
HRH The Prince of Wales said: “I look forward to seeing further cross-sector collaboration and I hope that the Task Force continues to foster a diverse range of partners and proposals to find the ambitious solutions that are all too vital.”
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