智慧水管理推动低碳经济
Wise water management to push a low-carbon economy
智慧水管理推动低碳经济
Ger Bergkamp, Executive Director of IWA 国际水协会执行主席
把全球气温上升维持在2 ºC以内，并且努力将其控制在1.5 ºC。上个星期六达成的气候变化巴黎协议为实现这个目标创造了前所未有的机会。这一目标的制定对于迈向低碳经济是十分重要的一步。巴黎协议的追求受到了政界，商业和非政府组织领导者的一致称赞。现在我们迎来了立刻行动的绝佳机会。这对于我们生活的地球，其上的居民以及所有关心水未来的人们来讲都是一个好消息。水对于经济的繁荣，人类的生存和环境的可持续都至关重要。水是地球和人类的生命之源。对比前工业化时代，全球平均温度会高出2ºC，面对这样的世界，如何据此调整水管理体系是一个重大的挑战，但这个挑战并非无法达成。我们需要现在就采取行动。
为了解决气候变化引发的洪水和干旱，从2020年开始每年至少还额外需要1千亿美元的财政资源投入。这些投资应该针对那些经济欠发达和缺乏财政管理能力的的国家地区。
水系统中的财政投入对解决全球水危机起着决定性作用。如果没有这些投资，经济和社会就无法取得繁荣。然而我们也必须要记得，当人口增长，消费形式变化，城市、工业、农业用水量持续上升等对水系统造成压力的因素得到解决时，气候变化也会随之得到改善。这些因素不仅仅是主要的挑战，对于参与水问题解决，强调水问题解决重要性的水行业来讲也是重要的机遇。
水行业对于缓解气候变化影响可以起到积极的作用。减少能耗，从城市水循环中生产能源将对低碳经济做出重要贡献。很多水务公司，如德国的Ruhrverband公司，正在引领这方面的努力。在过去十几年间，Ruhrverband公司已经降低了运行中的能耗，并且开始从污水中生产可再生能源生物沼气。很多其他企业在采取相似的措施，这些努力使得水务公司取得碳平衡不再只是一个期望，而是更可能成为行业标准。
取得这一目标最重要的机会来自于城镇水务公司，尤其是污水处理企业。每年，全球有80%的污水是在未经处理的情况下排放的。每人每天多达45kg的二氧化碳是以未经处理的污水的形式释放出来的。现在，全球议程已经在着手制定一个共赢方案。
联合国可持续发展目标条款6.3（Sustainable Development Goals, Target 6.3）提到希望在世界范围内兴建污水处理设施，使未处理污水的比例降低一半。这一计划的规模是巨大的，它需要我们到2030年平均每天为60万人口修建污水设施。这是一个宏伟的目标。在规定的时间框架下完成相应规模的建设需要投入前所未有的努力，让财政，技术，政策和实践都实现根本性的转变。扪心自问：我们应该怎样做来实践我们的承诺呢？
虽然水务公司可以通过本身的努力减少自己的碳足迹，但是降低碳排放真正的突破来源于同消费者的密切合作。平均来讲，一个家庭里每人每年要排放10,000 kg的二氧化碳，而这其中10%的排放量来源于用水和加热水。通过使用更加智能的房屋，节能的水壶和淋雨喷头，恒温调节器，和污水热能回收装置，家庭中用水产生的碳足迹会大幅度减少。
对于水务公司的领导者们来讲，一个非常重要的任务是寻求转变现有的商业模式，使之真正以服务为主导，去帮助消费者，引领变革。虽然听起来好像有些不可思议，但澳大利亚的悉尼水务（Sydney Water）就是这样把消费者放在第一位，重新塑造公司服务，成为了一个消费者服务型企业。这是水务公司用实际有效的途径打造可持续生活模式和消费方式，成为变革力量的一个例子。
随着气候变化巴黎协议的达成，向低碳性经济转变也被设立为重要目标。现有的一些自发性承诺并不足以实现这一目标。那么，就让我们向世界显示，在向将全球气温上升控制在1.5ºC以内的碳平衡经济迈进时，水行业有能力成为领导力量。让我们共同努力，向世界显示我们能够在实际运行中利用技术，管理和知识技能在水行业实现碳平衡。一个智慧的水世界是完全能够有助于应对将来的变化。
The Paris Agreement reached lastSaturday provides an unprecedented opportunity to keep the global temperaturerise well below 2 ºC and pursue efforts to limit it to 1.5 ºC. This is a majorstep forward to a low-carbon economy. The ambitions of the Paris Agreement arewidely applauded by political, business and NGO leaders. We have a fantasticopportunity now to act and act with urgency! Thus, very good news for theplanet, its inhabitants and all those concerned with the future of water. Wateris fundamental for prosperity, human wellbeing and environmentalsustainability. It is the lifeblood of human kind and our planet. Now, adaptingwater management systems to a world that is within 2 ºC warmer thanpre-industrial levels is a major challenge, but one that can be achieved. Let’sget started!
Additional financial resources,of at least USD 100 billion per year from 2020 onwards, are a welcomecontribution to address the projected increase in floods and droughts relatedto climate change. Such spending should be targeted towards those most in needand without the ability to master the finances to adapt.
Financing adaptation of our watersystems is fundamental to address water as a global risk. Without theseinvestments no economy and society will be able to thrive. Yet we have to keepin mind that climate adaptation comes on top of dealing with other pressures onwater systems: rising populations, changing consumption patterns andcontinuously growing water demands from cities, industries and agriculture.Combined, these provide not only a major challenge but also a major opportunityfor the water sector to engage and raise the stakes on water adaptation.
The water sector also has anactive role to play in climate mitigation. Reducing energy consumption andproducing energy from the urban water cycle can make a significant contributionto a low-carbon economy. Water utilities like Ruhrverband in Germany are leadingthe way. Over the last decade Ruhrverband has reduced their energy consumptionand started producing renewable energy from wastewater generated bio-gas.Others are following suite, raising the possibility of carbon neutral waterutilities becoming the norm rather than the exception.
The greatest opportunity toachieve this comes from utilities in cities were wastewater is not yet treated– accounting for 80 per cent of all wastewater globally. Up to 45kg of carbondioxide per person per day is emitted from untreated wastewater. And here iswhere global agendas connect to create a win-win solution.
The Sustainable Development Goals Target 6.3 aims to halve the proportion of untreated wastewater,requiring the building of wastewater treatment facilities world-wide at a pacenever seen before. The scale of the SDG commitment is enormous. It requires usto build wastewater facilities for approximately 0.6 million people every dayuntil 2030. This is huge! Delivering at scale and within the set timeframe willrequire an unprecedented effort that delivers transformative financing,technologies, policies and practices. Let’s ask ourselves: how are we going todeliver on this promise?
While utilities can do a lot toreduce their own carbon footprint, a real breakthrough in reducing carbonemissions can come from working with customers. On average, a household emitsapproximately 10,000 kg CO2 per person per year. Water heating and consumptionis about 10% of this emission. With smarter homes, efficient boilers and showerheads, thermostat mixers and heat recovery from drainage water, the householdcarbon footprint of water use can be dramatically reduced.
The key is for utility leaders tostep up and transform their business into being truly service oriented byhelping customers to make the change. It might sound farfetched but SydneyWater in Australia puts its customers first, and is reshaping utility servicesas a true customer service enterprise. It is one example of providing practicalpathways to establish sustainable lifestyles and ways of consumption that canbecome a truly transformative force.
With the Paris Agreement, thegoal posts for transitioning to a carbon free economy are set. Currentvoluntary commitments aren’t enough to realise this. So, let us show that thewater sector is able to step up and lead the way towards a carbon neutraleconomy that won’t reach beyond +1.5 ºC. Let’s pull together and show the worldthat we have, and can develop and apply at scale, the technologies, managementand know-how needed to achieve a carbon neutral water sector. A wise waterworld that is fully capable to adapt to the changes to come.