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8 Jun 2021 Sao Paulo, Brazil

Brazil: Worst Drought In Nine Decades Threatens Crop Transportation

Government to reduce number of cargo ships permitted on the Parana River basin, part of Brazil’s fourth- largest waterway for cargo transport. Restrictions could impact Brazil’s agriculture sector, particularly in the major farming states of Goias, Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul, Minas Gerais and Sao Paulo which rely on the 2,400km waterway for crop transportation.

7 May 2021 Vienna

Water As Climate-change Security Threat In SE Europe

Energy security, severe pollution from mining operations, flooding and water shortages could all lead to increased tensions in "one of the planet's warming hotspots".

29 Apr 2021 Edinburgh, United Kingdom

Interview: Water Is Lever For Shifting Gear On Climate Action

Henk Ovink, Special Envoy for International Water Affairs of the Netherlands talks to us about his work, the Netherlands' unique approach to valuing water and the need for global cooperation to maximise the leverage of water both in mitigation of and adaptation for climate change.

9 Jan 2021 WASHINGTON DC, United States

Updated US Lead Rule Falls Short In Protecting Human Health

Last month, the Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) announced the first major update to the US's lead and copper rule (LCR) in nearly 30 years. The new regulation means that homeowners, schools and childcare centres must be alerted of potential lead exposure from drinking water within 24 hours of detection...

17 Dec 2020 PRETORIA, South Africa

Environmental Approval For Thabametsi Withdrawn; Coal Project Officially Dead

The North Gauteng (South Africa) High Court has set aside the environmental authorisation for the 1500 MW Thabametsi power station, thereby ending the long saga of environmental dispute brought by NGOs Earthlife Africa, GroundWork, and Friends of the Earth against Thabametsi and the state of Limpopo...

8 Dec 2020 BRASILIA, Brazil

Climate Change Stresses Threaten Brazil’s Water Security, Say Military Experts

Brazil is not adequately prepared for the impacts of climate change-related stressors on its security, economy, natural resource base, and critical national infrastructure, says a new report by the International Military Council on Climate and Security (IMCCS). Its hydro-electricity plants and military facilities are found to be especially ill prepared...

28 Nov 2020 GENEVA, Switzerland

World Is "Alarmingly Off-track" To Deliver Sanitation Goals

On World Toilet Day, 19 November, the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF launched a report on global sanitation conditions and provided an assessment of investment required in order to achieve Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6.2 in the next 10 years.In 2015, Member States committed to achieve access to adequate and equitable sanitation and hygiene for all and end open defecation, paying special attention to the needs of women and girls and those in vulnerable situations, by 2030...

17 Nov 2020 VICTORIA FALLS, Zimbabwe

Southern Africa Ministers Approve Water-Energy-Food Governance Framework

Ministers for water and energy from the Southern African Development Community (SADC) have approved a Water-Energy-Food (WEF) Nexus Governance Framework, which was developed by SADC aided by The Global Water Partnership Southern Africa (GWPSA), at a meeting on 30 October.The WEF-Nexus project aims to support the transformation required to meet increasing water, energy, and food security demand in a context of climate change in the SADC region, through the development of an integrated nexus approach...

17 Nov 2020 LONDON, United Kingdom

England And Wales’s Water Industry Plans To Deliver Net Zero Carbon Emissions By 2030

Water companies in the England and Wales parts of the United Kingdom have set out a plan to deliver a net-zero-carbon water supply for customers by 2030, in what it calls “the world’s first sector-wide commitment of its kind”.The Net Zero 2030 Routemap sets out the industry’s vision for how water companies, which together produce almost a third of UK industrial and waste process emissions, will help tackle climate change by reaching net zero ahead of the UK Government’s legally binding target of 2050...

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10 Nov 2020 GENEVA, Switzerland

New UN Rapporteur Urges Guarantee Of Safe Water Access To All

In his first official address as the third UN special rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation, Pedro Arrojo-Agudo has said that “to shut the door on the spread of this virus (COVID-19), we must guarantee universal access to water and sanitation services”.Arrojo-Agudo took up new responsibilities on November 1 in the midst of a double crisis: climate change and COVID-19, and at a time when over 2 billion people worldwide do not have access to clean water for drinking and sanitation...

3 Nov 2020 GENEVA, Switzerland

"50L Home Coalition" To Address Water Scarcity, Climate Change

The newly launched 50L Home Coalition is a “global action-oriented platform” that aims to address water security and climate change.Convened by the 2030 Water Resources Group, World Business Council for Sustainable Development and the World Economic Forum, its founding members include Arcadis, Electrolux, Engie, Kohler, Procter & Gamble and Suez...

19 Oct 2020 Basra, Iraq

Basra City Canals Clogged By Solid Waste, Chemicals, Sediment

New satellite mapping of the canal system of Basra, Iraq, reveals an environmental disaster in the waterways.A study deploying United Nation's Operational Satellite Applications Programme (UNOSAT) technology, conducted by REACH, highlights and emphasises the deterioration in this vital infrastructure...