News.Oct 31, 2022

Launch event: New role for water in climate action

Join us on 9 November for the launch of the first-ever report that summarizes the role of water in climate mitigation. SIWI’s Dr Malin Lundberg Ingemarsson, Professor Johan Rockström and other leading scientists will explain why this report should revolutionize climate action.

The report The essential drop to reach Net-Zero: Unpacking Freshwater’s Role in Climate Change Mitigation will be released at the Water Pavilion of the climate meeting COP27 on 9 November 4pm EET (3pm CET). Anyone can follow the event online.

“We appreciate the chance to speak directly to governments and negotiators at COP because the report shows that we need to change how we think about climate mitigation. Many of today’s climate strategies may turn out to be unrealistic because there is no longer enough water available to pursue them. At the same time, many decision-makers are still not aware of the full potential in nature-based solutions and healthy ecosystems to store carbon and prevent disastrous release of GHG – both highly dependent on an intact water cycle,” explains Dr Malin Lundberg Ingemarsson from SIWI.

COP 27 logo - Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt 2022 (sandand blue colours)
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Follow SIWI to COP27

To share new knowledge about water and climate, SIWI will be taking active part in the global climate conference COP27 between 6 and 18 November. Join our programme online to learn about a promising new generation of climate solutions.

SIWI at COP

“Many decision-makers are still not aware of the full potential in nature-based solutions and healthy ecosystems to store carbon and prevent disastrous release of greenhouse gas.”

Dr Malin Lundberg Ingemarsson, International Policy and Water for Resilient Landscapes - SIWI

She has led the development of the report, but it is a joint effort together with the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), the Stockholm Resilience Centre (SRC), Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Several SIWI colleagues have contributed to the report as well as experts from about 20 different institutions.
For over two years, the group of researchers have reviewed and summarized current research on the role of water in climate mitigation. The pioneering work is important because it shows that policy makers need to take growing water risks much more seriously when planning for example the transforms of the food and energy systems. But the report will also identify knowledge gaps since there is still much that we don’t know about water and climate mitigation.

“Global warming is happening faster than we expected and with dramatic consequences. Effective climate action requires water-wise integrated approaches that consider the impact on the water cycle from our actions as well as from climate change are having on the water cycle. Then we can plan our societies in a new way, working with nature for long-term resilience,” says Malin Lundberg Ingemarsson.

Follow the launch online

Accredited media is invited to meet Dr Malin Lundberg Ingemarsson (researcher SIWI) and Professor Johan Rockström (Director Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research) in the Water Pavilion at 2.30pm CET (3:30pm EET)

The essential drop to reach Net-Zero: Unpacking Freshwater's Role in Climate Change Mitigation

The report shows a new way of thinking about climate change that can lead to more effective solutions.

Read the report
Macro view of a water droplet in balance on a parachutes dandelion on a metal blue / teal blurry background