Water security threat moved to top of Cop29 agenda

Water security is being moved to the top of the agenda at Cop29 as nations come together to address a growing threat to communities around the world.

Innovation is being embraced and funds are being provided to combat the pressing issue – with desalination and recycling seen as cutting-edge ways of capturing precious water and maintaining its security.

Delegates at the Baku talks say water scarcity is finally receiving the attention it deserves, after being downplayed during previous summits. It is thought that more than 1 billion people lack access to clean drinking water.

Dani Gaillard-Picher, senior policy adviser at Stockholm International Water Institute told The National that “unfortunately, in 2015 when the Paris Agreement was ratified, there was no mention of water”.

Significant strides were taken at Cop28, as the Food, Agriculture and Water Day saw crucial announcements on global water scarcity and food security. That momentum is being carried into this year's conference in Baku.

“This year, we see that there is going to be a voluntary declaration on water that a number of countries are endorsing,” said Ms Gaillard-Pacher.

Taking action

The Baku Dialogue on Water for Climate Action is set to be launched on Thursday. It is expected to see countries and partners endorse the Water Declaration, a call on stakeholders to collaborate when combating the effects of climate change on water ecosystems.

“The Cop29 presidency this year, has put forward the Baku Dialogue on Water for Climate Action – that is intended to serve as a Cop to Cop continuity process, to continuously keep water in focus at climate platforms,” said Kamala Huseynli, who works for the Azerbaijan Cop29 presidency.

Why is water scarcity an issue?

According to statistics from the World Wildlife Fund, only 3 per cent of the world's water is freshwater, and two thirds of that is locked in frozen glaciers.

At the same time, it is estimated that 1.1 billion people lack access to clean drinking water. The number is expected to be exacerbated in the future due to climate change.

The latest report from the Global Commission on the Economics of Water has highlighted that the effects of climate change on water scarcity could result in the GDP of high-income economies shrinking by about 8 per cent by 2050, while lower-income countries could face declines of about 15 per cent.

Innovative water solutions highlighted at Cop29

Significant investment is flowing through to water solutions. The Aim for Climate initiative – a multibillion-dollar UAE-US partnership supporting innovative environmental action -on Monday announced investment into projects that address the effects of climate change on agriculture and water security. A total of 129 innovations have received investment under the initiative.

Projects such as Sand to Green aim to tip the scales. The collaboration with Mascara Osmosun and Access Impact aims to convert 50 hectares of barren desert into fertile, productive land by next year. The initiative uses solar-powered desalination technology to generate a sustainable water source, boosting crop yields by up to 30 per cent.

The project looks to use sustainable hydroponic and aquaponic systems designed to address water scarcity and improve food security. By integrating AI, the project's solar-powered systems reduce water use by up to 70 per cent and increase crop yields by 30 per cent. Focused on empowering smallholder farmers in Africa, the innovation sprint aims to have about 50 systems by December next year.

Looking ahead to Cop30, Raoni Rajao, from Brazil's Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, said when it comes to the water agenda, he hopes talks build on the success of past summits, from Cop28 to Cop29 and beyond – “water, either floods or droughts, is one of the main impacts of climate change”.

“Rather than just passing the hot potato from one Cop to the other, we need to build solutions and pass them on, and build also learning capacity as we move forward,” said Mr Rajao.

The UAE has been championing the sustainable water agenda. Earlier this year, the UAE pledged to place water scarcity on the global agenda at the first council meeting of the Mohamed bin Zayed Water Initiative.

The next UN Water Conference will be held in Dubai in 2026. It will be co-hosted by the UAE and Senegal.