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Expert: Europe ‘unaware’ of its water footprint
While Europe may take better care of its water resources than other continents, it in fact uses larger quantities via imports of goods such as cotton, beans or wood, which often come from regions that already suffer from water scarcity, argues a UN expert in an interview with EURACTIV.
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Expert: Water footprint key to sustainable agriculture
Precise data on water usage will soon help farmers and policymakers make better decisions on where to grow crops, says Derk Kuiper from the Water Footprint Network, a UN-backed organisation.
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Industry: Indicators underway for water-efficient agriculture
Large multinational food companies are currently looking at indicators farmers could use to show progress in saving water. Peter Erik Ywema of the Sustainable Agriculture Initiative, an industry platform, spoke to EURACTIV in an interview.
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Expert: Medicines pollute world waters
Europe's freshwaters are increasingly filled with pharmaceutical residues and other micro-pollutants, which are potentially harmful to human health and the environment, warns Friedrich Barth from the European Water Partnership (EWP), a research group.
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Veolia calls for shift to ‘low-water economy’
To face the challenge of water scarcity, the world needs to 'de-hydrate' the economy, fight against waste and make better use of alternative resources like waste water, argued Antoine Frérot, chief executive officer of Veolia Water, in an interview with EURACTIV.
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Making the case for public water management
Mildred E. Warner believes public water boards with local leadership and input offer the best model for helping developing countries improve water quality and delivery. She says European public utilities have proven to be important partners in helping counterparts in developing countries.
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Water rights lawyer: Expecting more from the EU
More than one billion people don’t have safe drinking water and more than two billion lack toilets, according to the UN. Access to reliable water and sanitation are now human rights, and the UN’s special rapporteur says the European Union could be doing more – at home and abroad – to uphold these rights.
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Water and sanitation: An opportunity for donors
Europe, the US and other donors have an opportunity to be a more catalytic part of the solution to global water and sanitation needs by strengthening the capacity of developing countries to solve these challenges themselves, writes John Oldfield.
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EU freshwater policies
EU water policies comprise a large body of legislation covering areas as diverse as flood management, bathing-water quality, chemicals in water, clean drinking water, groundwater protection and urban waste water. The EU Water Framework Directive (WFD), adopted in 2000, was introduced to streamline the EU's large body of water legislation into one over-arching strategy.
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Water, Business and Sustainability
With water supplies under growing strain due to intensive use and climate change, the EU has introduced pricing policies to persuade users – farmers, industries and households – to save the precious resource. Meanwhile, pressure is growing to recognise access to safe drinking water and sanitation as a basic human right.
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EU water policies in the developing world
As water shortages in developing countries become more acute due to climate change, the EU is backing policies to manage the demands of all sectors, prioritising health, sanitation and cooperation between states.
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Private role in delivering water raises questions
When the European Commission launched an investigation early this year into possible price fixing by French water utilities, the move added ammunition to campaign groups that oppose privatisation of a vital public resource.
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Study shows oceans becoming much more acidic
The world's oceans are turning acidic at what could be the fastest pace of any time in the past 300 million years, even more rapidly than during a monster emission of planet-warming carbon 56 million years ago, European and US scientists say in a new study.
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Plenty of water, but is there enough to drink?
England’s third dry winter in a row has led British authorities to call for conservation measures, while China’s government has warned that two-thirds of the country’s cities face severe water shortages because of drought and rampant consumption.
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UN goals on safe drinking water reaches target early
The international target to halve the number of people who do not have access to safe drinking water has been met, five years before the 2015 deadline, the UN announced on today (6 March).
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Some nations could see EU water aid run dry
Impoverished people in India, Brazil and other emerging countries could be left in the lurch under EU plans to redirect development assistance to the world’s neediest nations, aid and rights activists say.
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Rival forums set different course for water access
Competing international conferences taking place in Marseille next week both seek to improve global freshwater access but hold radically different views on the private sector's role in reaching that goal.
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Policymakers weigh options for EU water pricing
Putting a price on water is essential to encourage savings but EU policymakers are cautious not to spark a social backlash with a one-size-fits-all solution. "Pay more if you use more" is, however, a model which could work, the MEP in charge of water issues told EURACTIV.
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US and EU must change biofuel targets to avert food crisis, says Nestlé chief
Nestlé, the world's largest food company, has added its weight to calls by the UN and development groups for the US and EU to change their biofuel targets because of looming food shortages and price rises.
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Farms trump industry in worries about water pollution
When blood-red sludge broke through containment walls in the Hungarian town of Ajka in October 2010, the immediate concern was the safety of hundreds of nearby residents. In the end 10 people died from exposure and the toxic muck spilled into waterways, including the Danube, prompting alarms downstream.
