A new collection explores the life of water in the time of climate change
Water future in a climate-risked world by Sunita Narain In this decade we will see the revenge of nature as climate change impacts increase. We need to scale our work to invest in local water systems to capture every drop of rain, so that we can build local resilience against drought. We also need to do it in our cities – lakes and ponds are the sponges that will allow us to harvest the rain-flood and make sure it does not become wasted water. We need to protect our forests and green spaces, as this is how water recharge will increase. In these times of water stress, not only must we make sure that wastewater or sewage is treated, but that it is recycled and reused. The waterbodies that we protect in our cities – the same ponds and tanks that we use to divert and harvest rainwater – can be used to channelise the treated sewage, and in turn, recharge groundwater. Water to water. We can be water-secure if we are water-wise. In the past few years, climate records have tumbled like never before. First, the planet observed its hottest June on record. Then came July, which recorded the hottest two weeks ever. In June, the surface temperature of the world’s oceans was the highest ever; Antarctica’s ice was the thinnest ever. The heat has gone off the charts in many parts of the world. Never before have there been extreme rainfall events that have resulted in such large-scale loss of property and lives. Scientists warn that this is only the beginning of our season of despair, because much is changing in the natural world around us.