Nearly 90 countries today launched a pact, pledging to protect water quality, reduce ocean pollution and end overexploitation of the marine environment on the day of the Paris climate summit (COP21) dedicated to water resources.<\/p>\n
The French Minister of Ecology, S\u00e9gol\u00e8ne Royal, points out: \u00abWe have corrected the neglect of this space which represents 70 % of the earth's surface, absorbs 30 % of polluting gases, and is the support for multiple economic activities and a fundamental element for producing renewable energies\u00bb.<\/p>\n
The agreement, which involves more than 300 stakeholders, including 87 countries, is supported by the World Bank, which will contribute $500 million to India to protect its deep waters, $3.1 billion to a 10-year program to protect the Niger River basin, and $150 million to Morocco to improve its irrigation techniques, among other donations.<\/p>\n
Royal noted that water is largely absent from the climate agenda, despite the fact that 90 % of natural disasters, such as droughts, floods, destruction of coral and marine biodiversity and metal spills, are related to water.<\/p>\n
In addition, 80 % of the national contributions to the fight against global warming made by 183 countries are linked to this element.<\/p>\n
For this reason, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) will conduct a specific study on the oceans, which will begin in February 2016.<\/p>\n
\u00abIf we do not act quickly, by 2080 between 43 and 50 % of the population will be without drinking water,\u00bb said the minister, while recalling that this problem generates conflicts over resources, affects agriculture, produces food insecurity, and causes serious displacement of populations.<\/p>\n
France will also ask the International Maritime Organization (IMO) for a mandatory mechanism to monitor the reduction of greenhouse gases in the maritime sector and to protect 55,000 hectares of its mangroves.<\/p>\n
Countries with vast stretches of coastline are some of the hardest hit by the water challenge, which is why twelve of them have banded together in the Delta Coalition.<\/p>\n
The Minister of the Environment of Colombia (a country included in the coalition), Gabriel Vallejo, explained that in its coastal areas where some of its \u00abmost vulnerable people live, such as fishermen, there is a very high level of biodiversity and they are also vital tourist centers for the economy\u00bb.<\/p>\n
The private sector also presented an alliance of 40 companies to respond to the challenge of water, a \u00abfundamental\u00bb element, since \u00ab67 % of the world's largest companies acknowledged being exposed to economic risks related to water,\u00bb explained Carbon Disclosure Project president Cate Lamb.<\/p>\n
Similarly, civil society also contributed its proposals to adapt to the consequences of warming, such as the Youth Commitment for Water platform, which promised to include indigenous youth in its mobilization.<\/p>\n
The day's participants expressed their willingness to keep water concerns in the climate debate for decades to come.<\/p>\n
In this regard, Morocco's Minister of Water, Charafat Afailal, assured that her country - which will host the next conference on climate change (COP22) - will give \u00abnew impetus\u00bb to this fight.<\/p>\n
To raise awareness of the importance of water, institutions launched the #ClimateisWater (Climate is Water) initiative, while water professionals proposed water-saving strategies to citizens.<\/p>\n
\u00abThe water world is not a satellite of the climate world, it comes first,\u00bb summed up the president of the French Water Alliance, Brice Lalonde.<\/p>\n
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