Climate change refers to long-term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns. The changes have been accelerated by human activities since the 1800s. Climate change affects every country on every continent, causing changes to weather patterns, rising sea levels, and more extreme weather events.
The impact of climate change is mostly felt in relation to water, and climate change is essentially becoming a water story. The Paris Agreement, which was adopted in 2015, aims to strengthen the global response to the threat of climate change. Climate change has heightened global awareness of the effects of these weather changes. Addressing the cause of climate change is vital to slow its effect on people and the world economy; however, these changes are unlikely to result in immediate alteration or improvement to the effects of climate change already being felt globally. Since we have limited immediate means of improving the effect of climatic changes, we need to build resilience into our lives, businesses and economies.
The primary risk of climate change relates to the accessibility to fresh water. In recent years, drought, floods and other water-related risks have threatened the sustainability of businesses, demanding a strategic and systemic approach to the management of water needs and sources. Many of the systemic water risks faced by businesses cannot be adequately solved through company operational measures.
The concept of water stewardship, a process whereby companies work collaboratively with other partners to manage shared water resources, is proposed as an effective response mechanism.
Water stewardship promotes and fosters the sustainable and equitable management of freshwater resources. Water stewardship practices range from water use efficiency at an organisation’s own operations, to engagement with suppliers, to long-term multi-stakeholder river basin projects, and beyond. Water stewardship helps ensure that water users not only manage their own risks and seize opportunities related to water (e.g., ensuring businesses have the water they need to continue production processes), but also promote long-term water security for all.
There is a strong business case for companies to better understand and manage their water risks and seize related opportunities. In implementing water stewardship, companies can build more resilient operations and suppliers, protect their licence to operate, save money, promote workplace productivity, strengthen brand value, and more. Water stewardship is about the responsible planning and management of resources and moving into the 21st century sustainably.
Climate change poses a serious immediate risk to water resource quality and quantity. By adopting a water stewardship programme, a business can build resilience in relation to water use and discharge into its operations. Water stewardship therefore provides a mechanism to contextualise a site within a catchment, encouraging appropriate water use management and mitigation of impacts on water resources. Taking responsibility for its water helps improve the business’s resilience to the effects of climate change by providing a better understanding of the catchment (basin scale) water system in which a business operates, and mechanisms to manage and mitigate impacts.
