Water

The objective of this panel discussion is to explore the blue economy—how it is defined, what it encompasses, and what/where is driving the demand. 

This event highlights the various roles that cities can play in addressing climate change: as regulators, project sponsors, fundraisers of capital, overseers of multi-connected systems, and as partners with the private sector, leveraging their relationship for green standards, innovation, technical expertise, and green finance.

The mountain ranges of the Himalayas, the Hindu Kush, and the Karakoram span 2,400 kilometers across six nations and contain 60,000 km² of ice – storing more water than anywhere besides the Arctic and Antarctic. Climate change and air pollution are speeding up the melting of the Himalayan glaciers, jeopardizing the lives and livelihoods of 750 million people who rely on the water from these glaciers and snows. Melting glaciers and loss of seasonal snow pose significant risks not just to the people who live at their foot but to the stability of water resources in the South Asia region more broadly. The impacts will only get worse unless greater efforts are made to curb black carbon deposits from factories, fires, and vehicles that are accelerating melting. Our expert panel will discuss challenges and solutions to address glacier melt, improve water and energy security, and air quality, and thus create a better future for millions of South Asians. Opening Remarks: Hartwig Schafer, Vice President, ...

Eight hundred million South Asians– or half the region’s population—are at risk to see their standards of living and incomes decline as rising temperatures and more erratic rainfalls will cut down crop yields, make water more scare, and push more people away from their homes to seek safer places. This worst-case scenario and relevant adaptation strategies to climate change underpin the upcoming report South Asia’s Hotspots, whose main findings were presented yesterday at a panel on building climate change resilience in South Asia at the World Bank Spring Meetings. Its main author, World Bank Lead Economist Muthukumara Mani detailed how specific geographic areas across South Asia or “hotspots” which –until now—were relatively immune to climate change threats could be badly affected by 2050. To build resilience, the report recommends that South Asian countries better prioritize their financial resources where they’re most needed and target the most vulnerable individuals and families.  Following the presentation, government, civil society, ...

With the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in 2015, the global community committed to “ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all” (SDG6) by 2030. How we can address the financing gap for universal access to water and sanitation, which is estimated to be $114 billion per year until 2030?

Water security is emerging as the number one global risk in terms of development impact. While the impacts are felt most acutely in the arid, water scarce regions of the world, climate change and rapid urbanization have increased water scarcity for other regions, as well. Fast-growing cities in water-scarce environments are the most vulnerable. During the event, local leaders and other key stakeholders will share their experiences and solutions for addressing water scarcity challenges with a view of the social, economic, and political implications. The panelists have worked on some of the most innovative management approaches and technologies now being deployed in the sector and will discuss some of the key challenges as well as positive lessons on how these can be used more widely to enhance water security globally.