Here’s How We Can Solve Climate Issues
We participated in the first ever Climate Adaptation Summit, here’s what we learned
On January 25th & 26th, the Climate Adaptation Summit was hosted by the Netherlands: the world’s first International conference not focused on how to prevent climate change, but on how to adapt to it. 2020 was the hottest year on record, climate change is no longer a problem of the future. Which is why this summit is of such importance. Current measures don’t equal the pace at which climate change is affecting our world and so the main goal of the Summit is to accelerate action by bringing together various stakeholders to think collectively about how we can become more climate resilient. At Wavin we believe that valuable connections are at the heart of progress. Connections between experts that spend most of their lives thinking of how to improve our cities. Connections between global and local partners. And connections between communities.
The Climate Adaptation Summit focused on 11 action themes, one of them lying at the core of our company’s purpose: water management. Considering the fact that today, 90% of the world’s environmental disasters are water-related, we’re probably not the only ones advocating for this action theme. How to make cities more water-smart? How can we improve our sewage systems and save precious water which is now being lost through leaks? How can we use technology to safely manage waste or storm water? How can we do a better job at harvesting rainwater? These are the questions that we at Wavin ask ourselves every day. And to see that they are now among the key talking points of such an important event, fuels us with motivation to continue on our mission.
During the Summit, Daniel Martinez-Valle, former CEO of our parent company Orbia, was invited to speak about how we can make cities more livable, loveable and resilient. In the The Mayor’s manual, a podcast that taps into the solutions that frontrunners and changemakers want to see in every Mayor’s Manual, Daniel shares his vision and points out we need as many people as possible to be involved in solving climate issues. Because he too believes that collaboration lies at the heart of innovation and ultimately, change.
It’s events like the Climate Adaptation Summit that bring people together to form partnerships and to make real commitments. Like the crystal clear list of to do’s for the decade ahead that came together as a result of the Summit. The ‘Adaptation Action Agenda’ is an accessible overview of key actions taken to enhance resilience, and their envisioned outcomes. An important point on the agenda is the formation of a Water Adaptation Hub to accelerate climate and water adaptation interventions globally by bringing the water sector together and connecting it with other sectors. We recognize our role and responsibility in this effort and are continuously looking for new ways to move the agenda forward towards a climate resilient world.
