2023: A year of success in the climate change battle or a missed opportunity?

From 30 November to 12 December 2023, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) 28th Conference of the Parties (COP28) was held in the United Arab Emirates. This World Climate Action Summit brought together 154 Heads of State and Government. In the very final stage of the Summit, the Parties reached several important agreements including operationalization of the loss and damage fund reinforcing the role of children and youth as agents of change through the Presidency youth climate champion, to operationalizing the transition from the fossil fuel use, emissions cuts, and scaled-up financing arrangements (United Nations COP 28, 2024). According to many observers and commentators, the agreements, which aim at more decisive climate action before the end of the decade to keep the global temperature limit of 1.5°C, imply recognition that global greenhouse gas emissions need to be cut 43% by 2030, compared to 2019 levels, to achieve that goal. This includes accelerating efforts towards the phase-down of unabated coal power, phasing out inefficient fossil fuel subsidies, and other measures that drive the transition away from fossil fuels in energy systems. The direction towards more equitable development, with developed countries continuing to take the lead, is suggested as the path to achieving those ambitious goals, and if possible, closer to 2025 (1 year from now!). Other researchers note that the urgent phasing out of fossil fuels is necessary but not sufficient. Mazzucato et al. (2023) consider that even if we could decarbonize the economy tomorrow, we would still not have a sustainable future until we take steps to maintain water systems and natural habitats. The authors argue that there is scientific evidence that “nature loss on its own can send us crashing through the Paris climate agreement's target of limiting global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, ushering in a world where millions of people in vulnerable environments would no longer be able to adapt”. Further, “(t)he increasingly well-documented links between climate change, biodiversity loss, and water insecurity point to a fundamental issue: our economic systems are based on flawed thinking. We are forever reacting to market failures when we should be pursuing proactive strategies to shape the economy for the common good” (Ibid). We have called attention to the major connections of water with the sustainable development process and goals, from our very first Editorial in 2014 (Neto & Camkin, 2014) to the central role of water in adapting to climate change in 2023 (Camkin & Neto, 2023). Safeguarding water resources and biodiversity cannot be done without decarbonization. The unbalanced way water and its resources have been used everywhere, within a frame of uncontrolled exhaustion of the environment and the services it provides, has undoubtedly contributed to the intensification of climatic extremes. 2023 was the hottest year on record (EC, 2023), with critical rising temperatures, serious fires in many countries, and floods in many regions. In 2023, we saw how all these extremes are having an increasing impact on already vulnerable populations, and communities, making more people homeless and increasing the number of climate refugees. Amongst the gloom, there is lots of positive action. In Europe, for example, the European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS) were enforced from 1st January 2024, obligating all companies to report water risks across their operations and value chains. This mandatory reporting on water aims to help companies understand (1) the material risks and opportunities arising from their dependence on water; (2) the impacts a company's activities may have on water resources; and (3) the actions a company is taking to prevent negative impacts and contribute to broader EU water objectives (ESRS, 2023). Of course, no single action is enough to match the huge and intrinsically interconnected challenges; water-related issues can no longer be ignored in any context. The challenge is not small, or dispensable. The water cycle, its territorial links, the environment, economic uses and resources, governance—in a word—require competence and strategic vision. Both are not abundant, unfortunately, which demands multiplied efforts from the real agents for change. Given the scale of climate changes and their effects, the latest COP 28 can bring some light to the path. But it is not an entirely optimistic outlook when we look at what is effectively happening. Actors around the world cry for clearer actions for decarbonization, but sadly, many of the fossil fuel-based activities continue to be supported and strongly financed in many regions, despite the Paris Agreement and the final decisions of the Conference of the Parties in Dubai at the end of last year. As pointed out by several agencies, many countries “are still aiming at peaking their fossil fuel use in the next years, … and countries that have ratified and agreed upon the European Union targets and the new EU Directives, still subsidize fossil fuels” (Oikonomou, 2023). For example, in Greece, three environmental organizations have filed a formal complaint to the European Commission against Greece for systematically giving a free pass to oil and gas drilling off the Greek coasts, in breach of EU and national laws. Because COP28 was so important, we have invited Sarah Ransom, General Manager of the Australian Water Partnership, to write a Guest Editorial for this issue, entitled Returning from Dubai: Reflections on Water in the Climate Conference. Sarah provides many relevant insights into the realities of COP28, building upon her experience of also attending previous COPs. Sarah concludes that “there is an opportunity ahead for the water community to make a significant contribution both to the fight for 1.5°C, and to ensure our skills and knowledge help communities and ecosystems to build resilience and adapt where needed, following the UN call for the water professionals to play a part on climate action in this critical decade.” The next 18 papers deal with a wide range of water issues, all linked to the need to improve the connection between research, policy, practice, and learning, particularly in the rapidly changing global context. In the paper, Is the Media Missing the Point on the Transnational American Desalination Pipe Dream? Brian F. O'Neill uses the example of large-scale seawater desalination in the southwest USA and Mexico to explore the role that media plays in the dissemination of information about globally significant transboundary issues like water policy and infrastructure projects. Drawing on experiences from Kazakhstan and elsewhere, Nurlan Apakhayev and co-authors report on their investigation into criminal offenses relating to water bodies and propose the development of new strategies and programs aimed at countering such crimes in Problems of Prevention of Criminal Offenses Related to the Use of Water Resources. Water quality management features strongly in this issue of WWP. Taking into consideration both the environmental limits specified by Egyptian legislation and industry-specific parameters, Doaa Abdou and Eid El—Ragehy propose an Industrial Water Quality Index in Unlocking Solutions for Cleaner Waters: The Industrial Wastewater Quality Index (IWQI) in Egypt and Beyond. In a book review Exploring Groundwater-Climate Change Interactions: A Critical Review of Groundwater and Climate Change: Multi-Level Law and Policy Perspectives by Philippe Cullet, Kulsum Fatima examines the key arguments presented, critically analyzing the book's contribution to the field of environmental law and policy, particularly relating to the interactions between climate change and groundwater. Returning to North America, Holly Wilts, David Burton and Aitazaz Farooque discuss the efficacy of various riparian buffer zone configurations and identify optimal buffers to protect surface water from contamination in A Comparison of Riparian Buffer Designs Incorporating Short-rotation Salix viminalis to Mitigate Surface Water Pollution in the Dunk River Watershed on Prince Edward Island. In Rainfall Extremes and Trends During the Little Dry Season in Nigeria, Joseph Omoniyi Adejuwon then presents an analysis of the “little dry season” in Nigeria—a dry spell amid the wet season—which is a phenomenon of interest in West Africa because of its impacts on agriculture and food production. Vishal Narain and Chanda Goodrich analyze the reasons for the limited impact of efforts for gender mainstreaming in the water sector in South Asia in their discussion paper, Glass Half Empty or Half Full? Gender in Integrated Water Resource Management in South Asia, noting that reserving seats for women in local patriarchal structures of decision-making does little to alter the status quo. Taking lessons from the experiences of riparian countries such as the Mekong River and common legal frameworks on international water law, Hoa Thanh Ha and Tuan Van Vu discuss the urgent need to establish a specialized international water management commission in their paper Urgent Call for Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses. Some Legal Reflections. Noting that rapid and frequent mapping of flood areas is crucial for monitoring and mitigating flood disasters, Sainath Reddy Poli and R. Bhavani's paper Assessment of Flood in Nandigama, Andhra Pradesh, Using Hydrological and Hydraulic Models reports on flood inundation mapping in Nandigama and its implications for the planning and management of flood control infrastructure. With soil erosion being a big challenge in Ethiopia due to the high expansion of agricultural activity and poor land-use management, Eyasu Tafese Mekuria's paper Sediment Yield Assessment and Suggesting Mitigation Measures: A Case Study of Deme Watershed, Omo-Gibe Basin, Ethiopia reports on sediment yield assessments and suggests mitigation measures that could reduce sediment yield by up to 90%. Amit Kumar Sharma and co-authors address the increasingly popular use of bio-indicators in water resource management in their article A Review on Plankton as a Bio-indicator: A Promising Tool for Monitoring Water Quality, highlighting recent research on the opportunities a range of planktons present for water quality management. Continuing with the water quality theme, the article Evaluating the Structures and Arrangements of Water Institutions to Include In-stream Modelling for Water Quality Management and Control Pollution: Insights from the Awash Basin, Ethiopia by Eskinder Zinabu and co-authors critically analyses existing models and the supporting environment, and suggest changes needed to improve institutional capacity. In their paper, Severity of Natural Calamities and Crop Yield Prediction Using Hybrid Deep Learning Model in Uttar Pradesh, Rajneesh Kumar and Rajendra Prasad Mahapatra discuss weaknesses in methods of predicting crop yields and propose approaches that better incorporate natural calamities such as drought, hail, and storm severity to support real-time agricultural practices and water quality protection. El Khoumsi Wafae and co-authors show that irrigation using treated wastewater generally promotes better growth in their article Effect of Treated Wastewater Irrigation on Ornamental Plants: Case Study of Lantana and Hibiscus, Morocco, highlighting the potential for a combination of treated wastewater and subsurface drip irrigation for irrigation of green spaces. Nepal has a high annual rainfall, but it still faces numerous challenges in ensuring good water quality. In the paper, An Analysis of Drinking Water Quality Parameters to Achieve Sustainable Development Goals in Rural and Urban Areas of Besisahar, Lamjung, Nepal, Mahendra Aryal reports on an analysis of 27 water samples taken from a variety of water sources with the results suggesting the need for great involvement of governments and developments in water resource management to ensure sustainability. Alebachew Shumye Moges and Sisay Assefa Wondimagegn then take us back to Ethiopia with their article, Evaluate the Effectiveness of Soil and Water Conservation Interventions in the Upper Awash Basin, Ethiopia, in which they survey community attitudes and assess the effectiveness of different conservation methods in enhancing soil physicochemical properties, reducing soil loss and erosion, and maximizing land productivity. In Assessing Groundwater Quality, Health Risks and Policy Implications: A Case Study of West Medinipur District, West Bengal, India, Md Anjar Alam, Damodhara Rao Mailapalli and Basant Maheshwari discuss the potential health risks, highlighting the complexity of groundwater quality and the need for comprehensive water policy and management strategies. Finally, Bitew K. Dessie and co-authors draw upon previous and current research to report on Pollution Challenges and Consequences of the Akaki Catchment, Upper Awash Basin, Ethiopia: Evidence for Policy Reform and Action. Finding that despite good laws and standards at federal and regional levels, environmental pollution is not being prevented because of ineffective implementation or enforcement, the authors recommend a set of specific and urgent policy measures. Thank you to all our authors and to the numerous reviewers who volunteered their time to support this issue of World Water Policy. We trust you will enjoy reading this rich collection of insights from around the world into water policy, practice, and the learning that supports them. We look forward to your contributions in the future. Our best wishes Susana Neto, Jeff Camkin 2023年11月30日至12月12日, 联合国气候变化框架公约(UNFCCC)第二十八次缔约方大会(COP28)在阿联酋举行, 本届世界气候行动峰会汇聚了154位国家元首和政府首脑。在峰会的最后阶段, 各方达成了几项重要协议, 包括“损失和损害”基金的操作化, 通过主席团青年气候倡导者加强儿童和青少年作为变革推动者的作用, 以及对“化石燃料使用的过渡 、减排和融资安排扩大”的操作化。 许多观察者和评论员认为, 这些协议(旨在于2030年之前采取更果断的气候行动, 以期将全球气温上升限制在1.5度以内)意味着对一个观点的认可, 即与 2019 年的水平相比, 2030年全球温室气体排放量需要减少43%才能实现这一目标。这包括加快逐步淘汰有增无减的煤电、逐步取消低效的化石燃料补贴, 以及加快一系列在能源系统中推动化石燃料转型的其他措施。建议以“发达国家继续带头的更加公平的发展方向”作为实现这些宏伟目标的路径, 如果可能的话, 在更接近2025年的时间内完成这些目标(即一年后!)。 其他研究人员指出, 紧急逐步淘汰化石燃料是必要的, 但还不够。Mazzucato等人(2023)认为, 即使我们明天就能实现经济脱碳, 但除非我们采取措施维护水系统和自然栖息地, 否则我们仍然不会拥有可持续的未来。作者论证, 有科学证据表明, “自然损失本身就可能使我们无法实现巴黎气候协议的目标(即将全球变暖限制在比工业化前水平高1.5°C的范围内), 从而导致数百万生活在脆弱环境中的人将无法再适应”。此外, “气候变化、生物多样性丧失和水不安全之间越来越明显的联系指出了一个根本问题:我们的经济系统建立在有缺陷的思维之上。当我们应该采取积极主动的战略来塑造经济以实现共同利益时, 我们却一直只对市场失灵作出反应”(同上)。 从 2014 年第一篇社论(Neto & Camkin, 2014)到 2023 年水在气候变化适应中的核心作用(Camkin & Neto, 2023), 我们一直呼吁人们关注水与可持续发展过程及目标的主要联系。如果没有脱碳, 就无法保护水资源和生物多样性。在环境及其提供的服务不受控制地枯竭的框架下, 各地对水及水资源的使用方式不平衡, 这无疑加剧了极端气候。2023年是有史以来最热的一年, 气温急剧上升, 许多国家发生严重火灾, 许多地区发生洪水。2023年, 我们看到所有这些极端情况如何对本已脆弱的人群和社区产生越来越大的影响, 使更多人无家可归, 并增加气候难民的数量。 这一困难下也出现了许多积极行动。例如, 在欧洲, 《欧洲可持续发展报告标准》(ESRS)自2024年1月1日起强制执行, 要求所有公司报告其运营和价值链中的水风险。这项关于水的强制性报告旨在帮助企业理解(1)由于对水的依赖而产生的重大风险和机遇；(2)公司的活动可能对水资源造成的影响；(3)公司为防止负面影响并促进更广泛的欧盟水目标而采取的行动(ESRS 2023)。 当然, 任何单一行动都不足以应对巨大且内在相互关联的挑战；在任何情况下都不能再忽视与水有关的问题。挑战不小, 并且是必要的。水循环、其领土联系、环境、经济用途和资源、治理——总而言之——需要能力和战略眼光。不幸的是, 能力和战略眼光都不充足, 这要求真正的变革行动者付出加倍的努力。 考虑到气候变化的规模及其影响, 最新的COP 28能为道路带来一丝曙光。但当我们审视正在发生的事情时, 这并不是一个完全乐观的前景。世界各地的行动者呼吁采取更明确的脱碳行动, 但遗憾的是, 尽管《巴黎协定》和去年底迪拜COP大会作出了最终决策, 许多地区仍继续支持和大力资助以化石燃料为基础的诸多活动。正如一些机构指出的那样, 2023), Brian F. 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