Norfolk Chambers Gold Patrons, Anglian Water are hosting an interdisciplinary conference with the University of East Anglia (UEA), on the ‘Climate Critical Decade’ and its implications for the role of water. The conference, which will take place as a hybrid event on 22 and 23 June, will discuss the actions that will be needed in the next decade to reduce the impacts of climate change on the use of water and the environment.
They are very keen to include a wide spectrum of representatives from academia, business and NGOs to feed into this vital discussion. Attendees are welcome to join online or in person, at UEA’s John Innes Centre.
At Anglian Water, we are conscious that we have a unique insight into the environmental importance of water. The Anglian Centre for Water Studies, launched in partnership with UEA in 2017, will co-host the ‘Climate Critical Decade’ conference with UEA’s Water Security Research Centre and the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research.
The Centre draws on UEA’s strengths in environmental and social sciences, alongside our industry expertise and experience, to consider how the water industry can become more resilient to climate change, engage society, inform policy and ensure environmental sustainability. Research projects at the Centre cover a broad spectrum of water and environmental issues, including biodiversity net gain; climate resilience; unflushables; metaldehyde biodegradation; and how behavioural science can motivate and optimise water conservation. We’re proud that Anglian Water is a part of this hugely important scientific research, which will only become more vital as we continue to see the effects of a warming climate.
Water scarcity is one of the most fundamental challenges facing the East of England. Our region is the driest in the UK, making it particularly vulnerable to drought. Yet 28 per cent of our East Anglia is also below sea level, making flooding another significant risk, something a lot of our region suffered from last winter. These factors, combined with a rapidly growing population, mean that the East of England is already seeing huge impacts as a result of the climate emergency. Parts of the region are already facing significant water-related impacts , in the form of extreme weather events such as drought and flood, and the East of England is already officially designated ‘water stressed’. If we don’t act now, we could face water shortages within the next five years.
Following the COP26 summit in Glasgow in November 2021, the role of water in addressing climate change has risen higher on the global agenda. The 2020s will be a critical and decisive decade for climate action, with significant carbon reductions needed to limit further global warming, as well as innovative adaptation techniques to build resilience to its already unavoidable impacts. The conference will aim to find interdisciplinary solutions across a range of cross-cutting problems, as well as sharing current understanding of water challenges and solutions.
The conference will be composed of four themed sessions, focusing on:
- How climate change will impact water and health
- Nature-based solutions for water management
- Integrated assessment of adaptation options
- Urban-rural interdependencies
The role of all sectors in climate mitigation and adaptation will be touched on throughout the event, with a keynote speech given by our Chief Executive, Peter Simpson. Our Water Resources Strategy Manager and guest lecturer at UEA’s Climatic Research Unit, Dr Geoff Darch, will also speak at the event. The conference will feature expert speakers from industry and academia, including from Water Resources East, WWF, WaterAid, and the Universities of East Anglia, Leeds and Newcastle.
We would be pleased to welcome businesses to attend the conference, which promises to provide valuable insights into the crucial role of water in combatting the climate emergency. You can register for the conference at store.uea.ac.uk/conferences-and-events/faculty-of-science/dev/critical-climate-decade-implications-for-water.
Location John Innes Conference CentreVenue Details
The John Innes Centre, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, NR4 7UH, UK
