Transition Island Blog

Dirty water kills.
Today, there are still almost 1.1 billion people without adequate access to water.

More than 25,000 people die every day because of water-borne disease.

On 22 March 2008, World Water Day aims to raise public awareness, and focus attention on the vital need to protect and conserve water resources and supplies of drinking water.

First organised in 1993, the idea arose from the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development held in Rio de Janeiro the previous year.

Davos warning

This January the UN Secretary General Ban-Ki Moon spoke out at Davos, warning the private sector of the ‘looming water crisis’. As water becomes increasingly scarce, greater priority must be given to the sustainable and equitable management of water resources.

Greater competition through the demands of agriculture and industry, along with the effects of climate change, are exacerbating drinking water shortages in the developing countries where WaterAid works.

Access to drinkable water must now be considered a basic human right.

Action:
Write a poem about water and submit it for website publication to the International Water Poetry Contest - ‘Water Voices from Around The World’.

An audit of London shows increasing and unsustainable strain on the environment.

Every Londoner needs land the size of five and half football pitches to support their way of life. This means its ecological footprint is greater than cities such as Tokyo but is more sustainable than Shanghai and New York.

In its ‘State of the Environment’ report, the Environment Agency says London already produces 19 million tonnes of waste every year, and only recycles 20% of household waste.

The city should waste less water, manage waste better and adapt to climate change, it suggested.

“And we believe that as a world-class city, London can provide international leadership”.

London’s Sustainable Development Commission says:

• Household waste recycling has increased significantly in recent years
• The total area of sites identified as important to wildlife has increased
• Londoners have led the world in shifting from private vehicle use to public transport, cycling and walking
• Recent trends in air quality show that concentrations of key pollutants have reduced in the past decade

On this last point, the Low Emissions Zone has sparked the threat of a legal challenge from Porsche, the car manufacturer. They obviously feel targeted !

But how would the Island fare in an audit?

Government announced an independent review of water metering
- at least in the most drought-hit parts of England by 2030.

New legislation also aims to encourage gardens and driveways that allow water to drain into the soil. Hard surfaces that run water off into the drains and waste it, will need planning permission.

The measure is included in a document published recently by the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), which sets out proposals aimed at improving water conservation and efficiency in England.

Defra wants us to limit…

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