Published: May 10, 2012
- The world is entering a period of growing
water scarcity: by 2030, global demand for
fresh water could outstrip supply by more
than 40 % if water is used in the same way
that it is today. These stark figures are
the background to a new report from the
International Resource Panel, a group of
natural resources experts hosted by the
United Nations Environment Programme.
Many parts of the world
could face a water crisis in the future,
not because they do not have enough water,
but because they are not using it smartly
enough. Accurate water accounts quantifying
the amount of water we can safely use can
help us use this resource both wisely and
fairly.
The report 'Measuring
Water Use in a Green Economy' argues that
while the world faces serious water problems,
their causes are often economic, social
and political in nature, rather than bio-physical.
These problems can be solved by balancing
water use and needs between different sectors
and ecosystems.
The report serves as a powerful reminder
just weeks ahead of the Rio +20 global summit
on sustainable development that the world
needs to radically rethink the way it uses
natural resources.
The lead author of the report, Jacqueline
McGlade, Executive Director of the European
Environment Agency (EEA), said: "Many
parts of the world could face a water crisis
in the future, not because they do not have
enough water, but because they are not using
it smartly enough. Accurate water accounts
quantifying the amount of water we can safely
use can help us use this resource both wisely
and fairly."
The growing demands placed on water supply
are not only the result of population growth,
but also a result of the way in which our
economies develop, according to the Resource
Panel. Since 1900, humanity's water consumption
has grown at twice the rate of population
growth, jumping from 600 billion cubic metres
in 1900 to 4,500 billion cubic metres in
2010.
People are not the only water users – environmental
systems also need water to function. Maintaining
these 'ecosystem services' should be seen
as vitally important, as they form the basis
of the European economy, the report argues.
Water accounting is a crucial tool for the
purpose of water management and making economic
assessments, alongside GDP growth and other
economy-wide indicators such as greenhouse
gas emissions. Ecosystem services should
be considered within such resource accounting
schemes to establish the links between resource
efficiency, biodiversity and ecosystem services.
The private sector is showing increasing
interest in taking water resources into
account when considering future business.
For public bodies to determine water balances,
the report states that it is important to
produce quantitative estimates of stocks
and flows. Water accounts should also include
other information, such as analysis of the
impact of fluctuations and uncertainties
associated with the global hydrological
cycle, water licences, access rights and
water quality.
+ More
Clean water at majority
of EU holiday destinations
Published: May 23, 2012
- Good news if you're planning a beach holiday
in Europe this summer: 92.1 % of bathing
waters in the European Union now meet the
minimum water quality standards set by the
Bathing Water Directive. This includes the
Serpentine Lake in London, which will host
several Olympics events, including the Open
Water Marathon Swim and the swimming section
of the triathlon.
The quality of water
at beaches and other bathing spots is one
of the most important environmental concerns
of European citizens. But in several countries
there is still a problem with pollution
from agriculture and sewage, so we need
to see more efforts to ensure safe and clean
water for the public.
The results are from
the latest annual Bathing Water Report of
European Environment Agency (EEA) and the
European Commission, which describes water
quality in more than 22,000 bathing sites
at beaches, rivers and lakes acrossEuropelast
year.
Environment Commissioner Janez Potocnik
said: “I am pleased to note that the quality
of Europe's bathing waters generally remains
high, and has improved since last year.
A clear majority of Europeans are concerned
about water quality issues, and want more
information on this. We must therefore continue
our work to ensure our waters are appropriate
for all legitimate uses – from bathing to
drinking - and that the overall aquatic
ecosystem is in good health.”
Professor Jacqueline McGlade, EEA Executive
Director, said: “The quality of water at
beaches and other bathing spots is one of
the most important environmental concerns
of European citizens. But in several countries
there is still a problem with pollution
from agriculture and sewage, so we need
to see more efforts to ensure safe and clean
water for the public.”
The report found that 77.1 % of sites had
excellent quality, i.e. complying with the
most stringent guide values, an improvement
of 3.5 percentage points on last year's
data. Some 93.1 % of coastal bathing waters
were classified as ‘sufficient’, or complying
with the less stringent mandatory values
– a 1 % increase. Less than 2 % of bathing
waters were non-compliant.
Cyprus, Croatia, Malta and Greece had excellent
reports on their bathing water sites, all
with more than 90 % of bathing water sites
meeting the most stringent guide values
(excellent quality), and the remainder complying
with the mandatory values. At the opposite
end of the scale, the Netherlands, Bulgaria,
Latvia, Luxemburg and Belgium had relatively
low proportions of sites meeting the strict
guide values, especially as regards inland
waters.
Water quality at Europe's most popular summer
destinations was generally good – with more
than 90 % of bathing water sites meeting
the mandatory values. Spain,Italy and Portugal
had more than 80 % of sites with excellent
water quality.
The overall quality of bathing waters in
the EU has markedly improved since 11000.
The number of coastal bathing waters not
complying with the Bathing Water Directive’s
provisions fell from 9.2 % of sites in 11000
to 1.5 % in 2011. The number of inland bathing
areas not complying with mandatory values
decreased from 11.9 % in 11000 to 2.4 %
in 2011, which is among the lowest percentages
to date.
Background
Bathing water in Europe needs to comply
with standards set in the 2006 Bathing Water
Directive, which must be implemented by
December 2014. The EU publishes an annual
summary report on the quality of bathing
water, based on reports that the Member
States should submit before the end of the
previous year. In this year's report, all
27 Member States as well as Croatia, Montenegro
and Switzerland monitored and reported bathing
water quality, most of them according to
the new provisions.
Two thirds of bathing sites were in coastal
waters and the rest in rivers and lakes.
The largest number of coastal bathing waters
can be found inItaly ,Greece, France and
Spain, while Germany and France have the
highest number of inland bathing waters.
Laboratories analysed levels of certain
types of bacteria, including intestinal
enterococci and Escherichia coli bacteria,
which may indicate the presence of pollution,
mainly from sewage or livestock waste. Sites
are classified as compliant with mandatory
values, compliant with the more stringent
guidelines, or non-compliant.
European citizens can find out about the
water quality at their favourite swimming
spot by checking the Water Information System
for Europe (WISE). The site allows users
to download data and check interactive maps.
People can also report the state of their
local water using the Eye on Earth website.
