Climate Change Conference and its impact on the water industry

Photo: COP15

At the opening of the UN Climate Change Summit today in Copenhagen the Danish Prime Minister in his opening address described the conference: “as an opportunity the world cannot afford to miss” and he went on to say: “a strong and ambitious climate change agreement” was needed.

The main areas for discussion at Copenhagen include:

• Targets to curb greenhouse gas emissions, in particular by developed countries
• Financial support for mitigation of and adaptation to climate change by developing countries
• A carbon trading scheme aimed at ending the destruction of the world's forests by 2030.

With the water industry consuming about 3% of the UK’s electricity and the potential impact of climate change on water supply and flooding the outcome of the summit will have a significant impact on the industry.

The blog’s view is that the work already underway in all water companies to implement a “sustainability agenda” and to adapt to the effects of climate change is critical. While it isn’t clear, at this stage, whether an agreement can be achieved at Copenhagen that’s no reason not to intensify the action to mitigate the possible consequences of climate change.