Turning global water security research into policy and action

Water is a major contributor to climate change-producing 10 percent of global emissions, largely from energy use for water treatment and transport, and organic and wastewater decomposition [1].And still, today two billion people live without access to safe drinking water, most notably in countries with among the lowest per capita emissions [2], and four billion experience water stress at least one month a year [3].The linkages between climate change and water insecurity are clear, as are the implications for the global economy.Yet in my experience, my water research colleagues in higher education often remain reluctant to directly engage with policymakers to take action toward global water security.Often researchers do discuss the potential policy implications of our research, but are either hesitant or uncertain about how to engage with policymakers.There is perhaps also an optimistic view of "if we build it they will come" with regards to the impact of research and technology products.While perhaps unfortunate, journal articles and online data dashboards do not, intrinsically, create change on their own without linking those tools to improved policies, incentives and management practices.There are emerging opportunities to both improve water security while reducing emissions-a 2024 report commissioned by WaterAid and the Voluntary Carbon Markets Integrity Initiative identified that 1.6 billion tonnes of CO2e, monetizable as carbon credits, could be avoided or removed within the water sector globally [4].Given the opportunities and increasing pressures wrought by climate inaction, in the past year my team and I have more often directly engaged with elected representatives both in the State of Colorado and in the US Congress, as well as leadership in major agencies such as the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) to translate our research into direct community-level water security actions.We have worked to link technological and community practice research with the economics of climate finance toward new approaches in water security.On a global level, our team has worked since 2007 [5] to demonstrate the potential of carbon markets and improved technologies to improve accountable, financially sustainable water service delivery in low income settings.USAID Administrator Samantha Power [6] highlighted our water security efforts at an early 2024 event celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Water for the World Act on Capitol Hill earlier this year, "When Kenya's recent drought sparked a spike in water-related conflicts among rural farmers, as it tends to do, Kenya faced the challenge of more efficiently delivering scarce water resources to hard-to-reach communities.