The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) is participating in the celebration of World Water Day on March 22 under the title "Water and Climate Change and how they are closely related".
Adapting to the impacts of water on climate change will protect health and save lives, and using water more efficiently will reduce greenhouse gases.
Five top ways of using water to fight climate change on World Water Day
Water is one of the world's most powerful weapons against climate change. Without it, we would have no natural protection such as wetlands, mangroves and peatlands to protect us from flooding and erosion or capture carbon emissions. We can all do our bit to better manage water and support this year's World Water Day. Here are five top ways to help:
1. Calculate your water footprint
Knowing the true environmental impact of an organization's use of water is the first step in improving it. ISO 14046, Environmental management – Water footprint – Principles, requirements and guidelines, is the world's first internationally agreed method for determining your organization's water efficiency. It covers everything from the quantity, quality and location of water to changes in water due to land use or other activities. It also helps organizations identify opportunities to reduce potential water-related impacts associated with products at various stages in their life cycle as well as processes to become more water-efficient. The result is not only reliable data that can be used in environmental reports worldwide, but a method to ensure continual improvement.
2. Manage your water efficiently
Climate change, increased populations and water-intensive methods in manufacturing and farming are all putting huge pressure on our water supply, thus we have no choice but to be more efficient with the water we have.
According to the United Nations, over the last hundred years, the use of water worldwide has increased twice as much as the global population: this means that seven hundred million people risk being displaced due to lack of water by 2030.
Knowing how much water we use, where and how, as well as having effective strategies in place to minimize consumption and maximize efficiencies, is the key objective of a water efficiency management system.
ISO 46001, Water efficiency management systems – Requirements with guidance for use, aims to help organizations of all sizes and status be more water-efficient. Through a clear framework and guidance on water efficiency management, it provides methods and tools for assessing and accounting for water usage, as well as ways to identify and implement measures to optimize water use and continually improve ways of doing so.