Water in Europe — The challenge of the 21st century

1. Water in Europe — The challenge of the 21st century Water, Engagement for our Future 14th AER Summer School 8th AER Youth Summer School 24-29 August 2009, Valencia -Spain Ronan Uhel European Environment Agency

2. What is the challenge? • To recognize the ecological, economic and social services of water in their interdependencies – • To valuate them as ecosystem services in the right balance to ensure human well being • To develop a innovative array of measures – together with all relevant actors; integrated over all sectors

3. Nature • Supplying: • Water • Food • Purification • In-stream benefits • …. human and ecological economy Human Modified after S. Postel / Natural Resources Forum 27 (2003); 89-98

4. human and ecological economy Nature Agri-culture Trans- port Publicsupply Indus-tries Energy Leisure Ecological limitof sustainability Modified after S. Postel / Natural Resources Forum 27 (2003); 89-98

5. Why a challenge? What to face? • Climate change will increase stress on aquatic systems with more frequent floods and droughts • Energy crisis; chance for and pressure from renewable energies • Economic crisis chances for innovation – risk for less focus on environment • Global markets increase complexity; impacts happen outside your watershed  water footprint

6. Climate Change impacts and vulnerability

7. Sea level rise and coastal erosion Needs long term protection, incl. consideration of sediment flows

8. River and Urban Flood risk needs infrastructure adaptation, protection and emergency plans and room for the river

10. Climate Change will exacerbate the availability problem • Drier summers across most of Europe • Increase in the frequency and severity of drought Maximum No. of consecutive dry days; Sillmann and Roeckner, 2008

11. Water Scarcity and Droughts • Depletion of water resources • leads to decline in groundwater, lake and reservoir levels • reduced river flows • drying out of soil and wetlands • Over pumping coastal aquifers leads to saline intrusion • reduced electricity and agricultural production • Drought has cost Europe EUR 100 billion over the last 30 years • Cost of sourcing new supplies including emergency measures e.g. Cyprus 2008 - 30 tankers

12. Water Exploitation Index

13. Demand management first! - Supply to go sustainable • Reservoirs, inter-basin transfers, desalination etc. so far provided no incentive to limit abstraction •  Address the demand for water rather than providing an ever expanding supply : • Better water efficiency and saving across all water users • Water re-use and recycling ; on-site treatment in industries, treated wastewater for irrigation, grey-, rainwater harvesting • Water pricing can be a key driver for savings and innovation • ‘Green Deal’ stimulation packages can drive new technologies and measures • Where supply has to be increased it has to be sustainable (e.g solar driven desalination)

14. Agricultural Irrigation –up to 80% of total water abstraction Source; JRC 2008

15. Water challenges for agriculture • Increasing Global Food Demand • Future demand for ‘thirsty’ bio-crops • Climate Change affecting high production areas • Water footprint ‘Volume of freshwater that is used to produce the goods and services we consume’ • Raises consumer awareness of water use in agricultural, industrial products and water traded across countries/continents • However: next to production processes the supply chain of the products from agriculture is key to induce changes

16. Resource footprints of biofuels production Water footprint (Liters/1 liters of ethanol)… Sugar beet (EU) = 1.400 Sugarcane (Brazil) = 2.400 Maize (USA) = 2.600 Land footprint (Hectares/1000 liters of ethanol)… Sugarcane (Brazil) = 0,11 Sugar beet (EU) = 0,125 Maize (USA) = 0,65

17. Water footprint to travel 100 Km (Liters)… Water footprint to travel 100 Km (Litres)… Ethanol car in USA = 15.000 Ethanol car in Brazil = 300 Plug-in hybrid car = 56 Gasoline car = 24 Ethanol car in USA = 15.000 Ethanol car in Brazil = 300 Plug-in hybrid car = 56 Gasoline car = 24 Water resource footprint of biofuels use Informal Meeting of Environmental Ministers, Åre, Sweden, 24-25 July 2009

18. Energy and water relationships WATER FOR ENERGY Extraction & Refining Hydropower Fuel Production (Ethanol, hydrogen) Thermo electric Cooling Waste Water Treatment Extraction and Transmission Drinking Water Treatment Energy Associated with Uses of Water ENERGY FOR WATER (Source: Reiter, 2008) (Reiter, IWA WWC 2008)

19. Water Energy nexus - conflicts and synergies Potential conflicts • Environmental impacts from water related energy production • thermal and toxic (inhibitors) pollution from cooling water; low flows limiting production capacity • Environmental impacts from hydropower • Dams are physical barriers; Eutrophication and sedimentation in reservoirs • Water quality requires more advanced water and wastewater treatment using more energy and higher GHG emissions • Energy use in desalination plants makes this a critical supply side measure in the WS&D problem Potential synergies • Saving water saves energy and vice versa • Heat recovery from ground- and wastewaters by heat pumps • Biogas from wastewater for power or fuel

20. Water efficiency in energy Production —Energy efficiency in the water sector • Implement known technology for increasing energy efficiency in water utility operation • Implement known technology for decreasing GHG emissions from power production • Infrastructure investments to save water and energy : • Reduce leakages • District heating / cooling • Energy recovery and sustainable energy production • Get the pricing right • Use fiscal instruments to coincide optima for eco-foot printing and business economy • Monitor by statistics • Include water and energy efficiency indicators • Innovate in several dimensions • Technical-scientific • Management and planning • Policy making and public awareness

21. Sustainable demand-led approach is required to managing Europe’s water resources Focus on conserving water and using it more efficiently Account for the need for healthy freshwater ecosystems Less water use also means lower energy consumption

22. Water Pricing reduces water use Multi-sectoral, volume based, supported by metering Denmark Estonia

23. Improving Efficiency – Public Water Supply • Significant leakage in public water networks • Water efficient appliances Estimated % leakage in public water supply(EEA 2003)

24. Cross sectoral integration is key • Need for a demand side approach; water savings throughout all sectors • Agriculture and industries need to engage into footprint approaches to optimise their water use on side and in remote catchments, connected to by trade and markets • Public water supply and sewer systems need to adapt to climate and demographic changes – invest in new infrastructure • Water and energy efficiency need to be developed hand in hand.

25. The challenges are clear — The solutions lay with the actors in Member States and Regions — Manage River Basins sustainably

26. Further reading - eea.europa.eu Impacts of Europe's changing climate – indicator-based assessment (4/2008) Water resources across Europe — confronting water scarcity and drought (3/2009)