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Stavros Dimas, the EU Commissioner responsible for environment called for industry to play a greater role in conserving increasingly scarce water resources when he addressed the Saving Europe's Water Conference in Brussels last week.
The Commissioner said that in the light of the European Environment Agency’s recent report that temperatures in Europe will increase between 1.0 to 5.5°C by the end of the century, the resulting change in rainfall patterns would increase the likelihood of natural disasters and affect river flows and the hydrological cycle in river catchment areas.
In recent years, river flows in the north of Europe have increased whilst those in the south have decreased leading to an increased risk of water scarcity. The 2003 heat wave affected over 100 million people and almost a third of EU territory with serious economic consequences estimated losses were put at €10 billion in the farming, livestock and forestry sector alone. Mr. Dimas said that such events are likely to become increasingly frequent in the future due to the effects of climate change, together with other factors such as increasing population, changes in land use, water management practices and extensive water withdrawals. Without urgent action, entire regions, including in the EU, could be at risk of desertification.
The Commissioner said that the Commission had already taken a number of steps to face up to the challenge of addressing water scarcity, including the flagship Water Framework Directive which was the foundation for an ambitious water policy to ensure ample supplies of quality water throughout Europe and a powerful tool to ensure that the impacts of climate change are factored into the management of water resources and water basins.
However, Europe current wastage of about 40% of the water it uses is unsustainable and the Commission is currently considering further policy options to address and mitigate the challenge of water scarcity and droughts, with a report on progress planned for early next year.
Mr. Dimas said Europe’s first priority should be to move towards a water-efficient and water saving culture and highlighted a number of key factors, including:
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Water pricing policies - seen as an important tool for incentivising efficient water use. A price that reflects the cost of water can go a long way to decreasing wasteful practices in industry and the population as a whole.
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Technology - where industry has a key role to play. Improving the availability of water does not necessarily require the building of new large water supply infrastructure such as desalination plants or water transfer networks. The priority should be on implementation of water efficiency measures.
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Efficiency measures - savings could be realised across industry sectors by focusing on production processes and technologies that use less water, recycle water and use rainwater.
Mr. Dimas concluded:
“ The Commission is committed to lead the European Union towards a future where the continent's water resources are used as efficiently as possible and not wasted as they are today. But tackling issues relating to water scarcity will require real efforts and engagement from all water users, in particular industry. The availability of water resources directly affects the functioning of European industry. It thus has a large stake in ensuring continued access to sufficient water supplies.”
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