Climate Now

How can water reuse help solve the global water crisis?

April 19, 2022 James Lawler Season 1 Episode 52
Climate Now
How can water reuse help solve the global water crisis?
Show Notes

Today, 26% of the global population - about 2 billion people - live without reliable access to safe drinking water.  And, as climate change worsens, the availability of fresh water will only decrease.  By 2050, as many as 3.2 billion people could live in severely water-scarce regions of the world.  More than half the global population will experience water scarcity for at least one month a year.

Options for mitigating this crisis are limited: we can use less water, discourage population growth in urban centers, or find new water sources.

On World Water Day 2022, Jon Freedman, Senior Vice President of Global Governmental Affairs for SUEZ Water Technology Solutions, joined Climate Now to make the case for water reuse as one of those alternative sources. Technology already exists to purify and safely use recycled water - Israel reuses nearly 90% of its wastewater effluent, primarily for irrigation. The question that remains is how to encourage adoption of water reuse as part of regional and national conservation strategies, and how to finance the necessary infrastructure development

Listen wherever you like to get your podcasts, or listen with the transcript at our website!

Follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram.

Contact us at contact@climatenow.com

Visit our website for all of our content and sources for each episode.