Reflections On COP27 Water Day

• Published date: 15 February 2023
• Subject Matter: Environment, Energy and Natural Resources, Environmental Law, Climate Change, Water
• Law Firm: Baringa Partners
• Author: Mr James Piggott

As COP27 settles into the confines of history, reflecting back on Water Day, James Piggott shares some thoughts on the part water plays in climate change and how the upcoming UN Water 2023 conference needs to build on those discussions.

COP27 hosted a dedicated day for Water for the first time, bringing water scarcity to the forefront of the agenda. This is hardly surprising as given the location of COP27 this year, the River Nile is a critical lifeline for Egypt, the host country.

The day bought to life conversations around the sustainability of water, acknowledging the connections between water resilience, economic resilience, and welfare concerns. The nexus between water, energy and agriculture was also discussed at length.

There feels to be an imminent shift towards acknowledging the crucial role of water in climate change. As Australian businesswoman and water sustainability advocate Mina Guli put it :

Climate risk is water risk

They are inherently linked. However, while COP27 said all the right things, the purpose of the discussions on water largely felt as a positioning tool for UN Water 2023 which takes place in March next year. This is where we expect - and need - to see tangible action plans being put in place to tackle the impending water crisis.

Time is of the...