Water is essential to our lives. From community wellbeing to sustaining ecosystems to powering economies, we all rely on water. While climate impacts often manifest in water, the way we manage water also plays an essential role in mitigating the climate crisis.
On 27 April, the US Water Alliance, the Embassy of Denmark in Washington, and the Danish Water and Wastewater Association (DANVA), announced and signed a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). The agreement aims to promote cross-cultural learning on climate mitigation strategies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions across water management and operations.
Henrik Bramsen Hahn, Deputy Chief of Mission at the Embassy of Denmark in Washington, states:
“Partnering with the US Water Alliance and the organization’s inspiring work to further the US water sector’s Race to Zero is a great privilege. The climate crisis does not recognize borders, and global partnerships are crucial in the effort to mitigate climate change. Denmark is committed to share our decades of experience with optimizing water management, and we are eager to bring inspiration from our US partners back home. We look forward to collaborating with both utilities and federal, state, and local governments all over the US. Together we can pave the way towards a more sustainable future.”
Globally, water use and management is estimated to be responsible for up to 10% of greenhouse gas emissions. The US Environmental Protection Agency estimates that energy consumption used for drinking water and wastewater services emits more than 45 million tons of greenhouse gas annually in the US alone.
Therefore, the new transatlantic partnership aims to strengthen the water sector’s toolbox in order to break the curve. Specifically, the partners will explore opportunities for carbon sequestration, emissions reductions and offsets, energy optimization, and much more to support net zero water goals across the US.
We need all hands on deck
At the signing ceremony, Mami Hara, CEO of the US Water Alliance, a national non-profit organisation, joined Mr. Hahn and several water professionals from both sides of the Atlantic for a roundtable discussion. She, too, underlined the importance of international collaboration as a tool to reach net zero. Mrs. Hara explains:
“With less than a decade for meaningful climate action, we need all hands on deck to keep the planet’s warming below 1.5˚C. As water leaders around the world step up to this challenge, we can learn from each other in real-time. We are excited to work closely with our new Danish partners to share best practices, innovate together, and accelerate Net Zero emissions goals.”
In 2021, US Water Alliance founded an Imagination Team, including representatives from over 35 organizations to develop “Net Zero Plus,” a shared vision and transformation to a climate-neutral US water sector by 2050. The effort kicked off with an International Water and Climate Mitigation Symposium to learn from international water pioneers, including Denmark, about ongoing research for emissions from water and to discover mitigation strategies that might be transferrable to the US.