The Swedish Water House clustergroup on water and energy connections arranged a seminar on the 26th of October at the World Trade Center in Stockholm. The purpose of the event was to introduce a wider audience to issues explored by the group in its work. The seminar started with an introductory background presentation by the group coordinator, providing the setting for coming presentations. The concept of the water and energy nexus was introduced as well as different demand projections for both water and energy resources. The need for systemic approaches to address the issues were also highlighted.

Gustaf Olsson of Lund University deepened the perspectives introduced, by exploring the water content needed for various energy production and the energy required to manage various water systems, stressing that in the future more energy will be required to pump increasingly hard to acess water resources. He then focused more on aspects of hydropower production, explaining the water consumption associated with water storage. He also explored more in detail the energy requirements for treating water, and the energy needed to pump water in different countries.

Klas Cederwall of KTH stressed the need of developing qualified risk perspectives regarding the strategic development of societal development. He gave interesting examples of energy storage in ground- and surface water systems, and highlighted the small-scale peripheral hydropower systems. Turning focus more towards hydropower, Bernt Rydgren of ÅF consulting followed with a presentation describing on-going efforts to make hydropower projects more sustainable by utilizing the recently launched tool called “the Hydropower Sustainability Assessment Protocol” developed by IHA. He described the complex tool and the many measures to ensure that best options are utilized throughout the life cycle of a hydropower project. Peter Rudberg of SEI continued on the hydropower track but more localized as he provided a Swedish context to the many challenges and opportunities tied to hydropower in the nation. He pointed out that in Sweden there are lots of activities related to climate change but less so regarding biodiversity loss of Swedish river systems and highlighted the possible problem related to aging permits that current hydropower generation in the country operates with.

During the afternoon session attention shifted towards water linkages to bioenergy. Louise Karlberg of SEI provided a background describing the water dependency/intencity of different bio-fuels. She pointed to the possible conflict of reaching targets of global food security when rising demand for energy/bioenergy competes for existing water resources. She concluded that on a global scale there are enough water resources to cater to both food demands and also some bioenergy development but that caution should be observed at the local level as consequences could be considerable. Following up on that, Mikael Bergius of UMB, Norway, described the prevailing issue of land acquisitions/agro land deals for bio-fuel production and presented a recently concluded study from Tanzania. He concluded that experiences from that specific case showed high risks for local populations in terms of their ability to safe guard agricultural practices and access to natural resources, suggesting that the win-win scenario often  referred to had not materialized in this specific case. He suggested a strong focus on inclusion and dialogue between stakeholders was critical in order for this projects to have positive outcomes. The final presentation of the day was given by Tiina Kikerpuu of SIS describing current work of the Swedish Standards Institute to develop sustainability criteria for Bioenergy in cooperation with developing nations in Eastern Africa and South East Asia. She noted that the standard was developed with the focus on bio-energy trade and provide a tool-set for options assessment for sustainable bioenergy development.

The seminar produced a lot of interesting discussions from an engaged audience and many new perspectives arose enabling interactions between people working in many different fields related to water and energy, adding to the cross-sectorial understanding that is so important when considering the sustainable development of both resources.
 

Yesterday at the World Water Week we brought together the Swedish and French Government agencies for marine and water environments (SWaM and ONEMA) to discuss how to best combat water pollution from agriculture in Europe. Poland, with roughly 50% of its land being used for agriculture, contributed with the important insights into the challenges that reforming agriculture entails.

Prof. Waldemar Mioduszewski from Poland took part in the seminar

Professor Waldemar Mioduszewski from the Institute of Technology and Natural Sciences in Falenty and Dr. Marek Gielczewski, Warzaw University of Life Sciences in Warzaw spoke of the Polish share of nitrogen and phosphorous load to the Baltic sea which is the largest of all the Baltic countries. But the fact is that Poland is a very populous country and so if looking at the unit load per hectare and per capita, the loads are not very high as compared to other countries. Still, the situation needs to change, but it will be all the more difficult to reduce the load because of the amount of land and people involved.

We compared the pollution situations in Sweden, France and Poland and what we need to do more research on in the future. Also taking part in arranging this seminar was the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, the Swedish Board of Agriculture, the Swedish-French Association for Research and Baltic Compass. You can look at all the presentation here!

World Water Week kicked off today with the Young Water Professionals Seminar. I was excited to see that so many people had manage to get up early in the morning - on a Sunday - to take part in the event. The theme of the seminar this year was Green Economy and the water, food and energy nexus. The seminar started with a couple of presentations setting the stage for spurring discussions.

First, Joppe Cramwinkel, Director of the World Business Council for Development gave an inspirational speech. He highlighted the challenges we are facing; people are still suffering from hunger, environmental damage is severe, and energy needs are increasing. We know what problems we are facing, we know what we need to do and we know that we need to act now. The next step is to scale up. Businesses can do much but governments and the private sector needs to work together. They can educate, regulate and invest - all to facilitate the transition. Lisa Deutsch, from Stockholm Resilience Center was the second speaker of the day. By taking a single cup of coffee as an example, she illustrated the many different services a cup of coffee can provide - if the right methods are applied. By changing the way we produce coffee from sun coffee to shade coffee, revenues can be made while ecosystem services are protected. She also introduced the concept of Virtual Water to the audience, which allows countries suffering from water scarcity to import water intensive products from regions with more water.  Josephine Gustafsson from Stockholm International Water Institute talked about the impact food waste has on the nexus. By throwing away food we squander resources. The world is hungry because we waste food was her message. All actors can do something - but we need to work together to solve the problem.

After the presentations the participants were divided into groups for a break-out session, discussing what is needed form different actors in order to move towards a green economy. Many interesting points were raised in the discussions. Education was raised as a key to change, as well as clear objectives and framework for business to act from.  Identifying agents for change was also mentioned as a part of the solution. In some countries business has actually taken large steps towards sustainability when realizing that they need to protect the resources they are depending on. Finding a common vision between different actors can also drive change. Today there is little linkage between different sectors, which makes it more difficult to find possible synergies. After the seminar had ended, the room was still buzzing of ideas - young water professionals sharing their thoughts with each other and the speakers. I am sure the discussions will continue throughout the week and outside the walls of Stockholm International Fairs.

En fullastad båt lämnade Nynäshamn på söndagen. Denna gång inte lastad med vanliga turister på jakt efter Gotlands fängslande natur och fascinerande historia, nu var båten istället fullastade med roll-ups, flyers, rapporter och människor redo att inspirera, engagera och utbyta erfarenheter. För mig är det första gången jag besöker Almedalsveckan och det är en otrolig häftig upplevelse att vara här. Bakom varje hörn väntar spännande seminarier, intressanta människor och ny kunskap. Som representanter för Swedish Water House och SIWI började vi veckan med vårt egna seminarium om långsiktighet i biståndet, något som min kollega Karin har bloggat om nedan. I vackra lokaler i hjärtat av Visby lockade vi nyfikna besökare med intressanta talare och en värmande kopp kaffe på morgonkvisten. Efter ett mycket lyckat seminarium och en bra start på veckan var det dags för oss att besöka seminarier  vi inte själva anordnat. Vi fick lära oss mer om allt ifrån "Fiskpinnens framtid" till "Priset på Vatten". Det pågår 1 800 seminarium i Visby under denna vecka, det säger sig självt att vi inte kan besöka alla event som vi är intresserade av, eller som behandlar vattenfrågor, men vi gör vårt bästa och delar upp oss för att få en så bred bild som möjligt. På morgonen samlas vi vid frukosten med programtidningen i högsta hugg, ringer in det som är intressantas från vårt perspektiv och kastar oss på cyklarna för att ta oss in till Visby.

Partiledarnas tal på stora scenen klockan 19 vill vi heller inte missa, det är intressant att höra deras syn på politikens utformande och utveckling. Efter talen finns det tid att träffa beslutsfattare, forskare, och kollegor under mer informella former innan det är dags att cykla tillbaka till hotellet. Innan sänggång blir det att svara på lite mail för även om det är svårt att tro när solen går ner över havet och minglen i Visby bara börjat så pågår arbetet hemma på kontoret i Stockholm för fullt. Just nu är förberedelserna för Världsvattenveckan, 27-31 augusti, i centrum och det är mycket som ska bli klart innan programmet trycks.

Imorgon har vi två seminarier på agendan; Finansiella grundbultar för en grön och hållbar innovationsstrategi kl 10:30 och Efter Rio+20 - vad händer nu? Politiska prioriteringar för att gå från ord till handling klockan 17.00.

Hoppas att ni som är på Gotland har möjlighet att komma, annars syns vi på Vattenveckan!

Ps. Ni följer väl oss på twitter och facebook?

At a breakfast meeting last Tuesday Mr. Achim Steiner, executive director of UNEP, shared his thoughts on the role of water in the green economy with the Swedish Water House network.

The concept of "green economy" is not always clear to everyone. Mr. Steiner however urged us not to get stuck on a definition, but underlined that the green economy is more a set of principles for how economies should develop in order to sustain a sustainable development. This can be done through many different avenues, fiscal and policy reform to stimulate renewable energy are just a few, as is payment for ecosystem services. It entails a range of delicate challenges, such as how to achieve a policy change in parliaments, or achieving economic development in countries where people don’t even have basics rights in place. The idea that a country must develop first and only then worry about the environment is a fallacy. Mr. Steiner emphasized the importance of moving beyond the North and South opposition, and bringing the green economy discussion to the core of sustainable development.
 
Achim Steiner, executive director of UNEP. Photo: Ann-Mari Karlsson

Water has many roles in the economy. The way that natural resources are used always affects people very differently and so equity issues are central to water management. At the Rio+20 conference in June, Mr. Steiner hopes that sectors will stop looking at how to capture and manage "their" particular resource against the interests of others, and instead start linking different users of water and to look at the entire hydrological flow to discuss how these flows should be managed.

Policymakers now need ripe advice on how to move forward with economies in light of the environmental state of the world. Mr. Steiner pointed out that it is difficult for decision makers to navigate in the cacophony of voices on biodiversity issues today. Rio will, among other things, discuss the Millennium Development Goals and whether they should be followed up with a set of Sustainable Development Goals to be reinstated for every country. But how to formulate these goals, should we define each domain according to water, forests, mountains, e.t.c or should we take a systemic approach based on the interconnected nature of these domains? While Mr. Steiner warned against too much fragmentation, parts of the audience pointed out that water as a prerequisite for the functioning of all other domains should have its own role in the sustainability goals.

by Ann-Mari Karlsson, Swedish Water House

Join our breakfast meeting on April 24:

Towards a green economy? The role of energy and water
A conversation with Achim Steiner

Time: 8 - 9 am, breakfast is served from 7:30 am
Venue: Svenska Läkaresällskapet, Klara Östra Kyrkogata 10
Facilitator: Karin Lexén, Director, Swedish Water House

To sign up for the meeting, please send an e-mail to ann-mari.karlsson@siwi.org.
Seats are limited, first come first serve. The meeting is free of charge.
Read more

Inför Stockholm +40 och Rio +20 bjöd Swedish Water House in Lars-Göran Engfeldt, tidigare miljöambassadör och nu ordförande i Transparency International, till ett samtal om uthållig utveckling. Lars-Göran som varit engagerad i det internationella arbetet med miljöfrågorna sedan 1968, brinner fortfarande för frågorna och hade många tankar kring vad som behövs för att flytta fram klimatarbetet. 

Han berättar att under FN:s klimatkonferens i Nairobi 2006 satsade man på små konventioner som var legalt bindande. Man trodde att dessa skulle leda till konkreta åtaganden men endast en av de 300 som slöts har haft effekt. Med så många konventioner är det svårt för länder få en överblick och det är lätt att tappa kontrollen.

Inför Rio har man glömt bort allt vi förband oss till att göra för 10 år sedan. Man återupptar mål utan att blicka tillbaka. Det är ett stort problem att gemensamt fattade beslut inte får effekt på nationell nivå menar Lars-Göran. Inför Rio verkar man ha trollat bort det faktum att inga tidigare beslut implementerats. Det behövs nationella övervakningsmekanismer som ser till att få uppfyller de mål vi åtagit oss.

Trots att det finns en större förståelse idag för det helhetsgrepp som behövs för att uppnå en hållbar utveckling så behandlas miljö- sociala och ekonomiska frågor fortfarande separat. Det finns en stor fragmentering, och sektorisering i det politiska arbetet.

Lars-Göran avslutar med att betona behovet av en ung, aktiv generation som engagerar sig i politiken och media och sätter press på våra politiker. De rika länderna måste ta sitt ansvar och gå före i klimatarbetet. Det är vi som har dragit fördelarna av den ekonomiska tillväxten och ökade välståndet och det är därför naturligt att vi går i bräschen i klimatarbetet.

Läs Göran-Engfeldts bok ”From Stockholm to Johannesburg and beyond”

av Karin Glaumann, SIWI

This question was discussed by a high level panel of national representatives at one of the World Water Week seminars Water and Climate in Focus: Raising the profile of water in the global climate discourse” last week. There is a need to continue acknowledge water’s cross-cutting nature and its relevance for both climate adaptation and mitigation- something all panelists agreed on. The African ministers talked about the implications climate change has and will have for African countries in the future. The shrinkage of Lake Chad for instance will affect water availability and thus put a stress on local populations, leading to an increased risk of water-related conflicts. 

Through its advocacy on the climate negotiations, the Water and Climate Coalition have pushed for water to be treated as a unique agenda item on the SBSTA agenda (The Subsidiary body for scientific and Technical Advice). Although this did not happen a fair compromise was reached and instead of addressing water as a separate agenda item it was to be addressed under the Nairobi Work Programme on Adaptation. This should be seen as a major achievement; however, the coalition will continue to push for water being treated as a single agenda item. Among the panelists there was a concern that treating water as a separate agenda item can make other groups push for their issues to be treated the same way. Climate negotiations have too many issues to deal with. They already have troubles going through all agenda items with the very limited time- how is it possible to include even more? Angela Kallhauge, working as a senior advisor at the Swedish Energy Agency’s International Climate Policy Unit meant that the coalition should focus on educating climate negotiators at home so when they are at the negotiations they have “water with them in thought“ all the time. Are there too many issues? Hannah Stoddart from Stakeholder Forum responded and said that we cannot compare water with many of the other issues that want to be placed on the agenda. Water differs since “it is the essence of everything”. If we want to make climate adaptation and mitigation successful pushing for a space for water on the SBSTA agenda is the way to start!
 

Someone just called me to ask whether he was young enough for the Young Water Professionals seminar that we arrange on the 21st of August during the World Water Week in Stockholm. His question was perfectly logical in view of the seminar’s name, and I was happy to convey the message that we do not have an age limit. But the question undoubtedly gave rise to today’s philosophical moment. What defines being young? The age at which you are no longer seen as young seems to differ substantially between countries. A reasonable answer to the question might be “as long as you consider yourself in the beginning of a career”. But then again, with today’s flexible working market you may just as well be older and starting a new career. And somewhere during that career path you will master enough knowledge and skill to become senior. The point at which you go from being “just” an expert to being a senior expert is equally elusive and, naturally, subject to interpretation.

Philosophical meanderings aside, with this seminar we are hoping to provide a platform for young water professionals, however they chose to define themselves, to meet their peers as well as more senior experts, to discuss future challenges in the water sector. This year we have created a scenario for the participants with the task to rebuild the Indonesian city Banda Aceh, shattered by the tsunami in 2004, into a resilient city. The central question that will be guiding the work is: Building a city in this area, how can we create sustainable solutions for energy and water supply, sanitation, industry and agriculture without overexploiting or polluting water sources? Have a closer look at the programme and the case study here. Please note that to join this seminar you need to be registered for the Water Week. However, for Sweden-based young water professionals there are still a couple of free seats left… send me an e-mail no later than tomorrow Friday the 5th if you want to sign up! ann-mari.karlsson@siwi.org

Vad har sommarklänningen du nyss köpte gemensamt med biobränslet som kanske driver din bil? Tillverkningen av båda är beroende av vatten- och andra naturresurser på andra sidan jorden, där implementering av miljölagar ofta är svag. Många företag är nu medvetna om detta och arbetar med hur de bäst tar hänsyn till miljöfrågor, inklusive vattenanvändning och vattenkvalitet, i sin verksamhet - men de flesta har fortfarande en lång väg att gå.

Under seminariet ”The role of private companies in water resources manangement” som hölls den 9 maj presenterades exempel från just textil- och biobränslesektorerna på hur företag frivilligt kan engagera sig för bättre vattenresursförvaltning. Det lockade cirka 50 personer till Konserthuset i Stockholm och var ett samarrangemang mellan Swedish Water House, Näringslivets Miljöchefer och Stockholm Environment Institute.

Abetnego Tarigan, chef för Sawit Watch (en indonesisk enskild organisation) berättade hur Roundtable for Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) fungerar som mötesplats för företag, miljöorganisationer, investerare och andra som vill verka för mer hållbara produktion av palmolja. Sedan organisationen startade har han sett hur företag har blivit mer bekväma med att diskutera dessa frågor.
Ett av de svenska företag som är med i RSPO, Fortum, har tagit ställningen att de inte kan använda rå palmolja för att tillverka biobränslen, men dock restprodukter av palmolja. En utmaning för dem blir därför att ställa upphandlingskrav på att restprodukterna ska vara RSPO-certifierade.

Från textilbranschens håll efterlyste Renée Anderson, Indiska, ett nytt synsätt på relationen mellan företag, enskilda organisationer och myndigheter gällande vattenfrågor - det bör inte vara en katt-och-råtta-lek utan ett mer jämställt samarbete. En modell för sådant samarbete är Sweden Textile Water Initiative (STWI) som presenterades under seminariet.

Anna Forslund från WWF uttryckte att hennes organisation gärna samarbetar med företag när det gäller vattenfrågor, särskilt om det gäller engagemang för ett helt avrinningsområde. Det är dock viktigt att företag som ingår partnerskap med WWF är klara över att de gör det för att bidra till ett mer hållbart användande av vattenresurser.

Innan seminariepubliken gick hem fick de också med sig tankar om en ny affärsmodell där företag fördelar sin vinst inte bara till aktieägarna utan också till miljöprojekt; en idé från Håkan Tropp, chef för UNDPs Water Governance Facility.

av Johanna Sjödin, Swedish Water House

Som avslutning på den Nationella Dricksvattenkonferensen hölls en paneldiskussion mellan företrädare från forsknings- och politikvärden. Jens Berggren från SIWI bidrog med internationella utblickar.

Huvudfrågorna för diskussionen var vilka utmaningar och möjligheter som svensk dricksvattenförsörjning står inför. Panelen verkade relativt enig i att den låga medvetenheten och engagemanget hos allmänheten kring dricksvattenfrågor var både en stor utmaning och en möjlighet. Bristande medvetenhet hos allmänheten leder till mindre förståelse för de i vissa fall ganska kostamma åtgärder som bör tas för att säkerställa en trygg dricksvattenförsörjning i framtiden. Dessa åtgärder rör både ett stärkt skydd av dricksvattentäkter, renovering av åldrade ledningssystem och en förbättrad koordination av de myndigheter som hanterar vattenfrågor. Ett annat dillemma med ett lågt intresse från allmänheten är att frågan därmed riskerar att bli mindre intressant politiskt vilket kan leda till en ond cirkel.

Deltagarna vid konferensen var närmast helt eniga i sin uppfattning att svensk dricksvattenförsörjning kommer vara minst lika bra i framtiden som idag. Kanske kom denna positiva syn delvis av det faktum att vatten har en har en oerhörd förmåga att göra sig påmint ifall vi skulle riskera att glömma bort det.

Paneldebatt: Sveriges framtida dricksvatten - utmaningar och möjligheter

Moderator: Johan Kuylenstierna, Stockholm Environment Institute
•  Jens Berggren, Stockholm International Water Institute
•  Matilda Ernkrans, Miljö- och Jordbruksutskottet
•  Magnus Kindbom, Jordbruksdepartementet
•  Anna Ledin, Formas
•  Lars-Erik Liljelund, Mistra

 
Lars-Erik Liljelund, Mistra, Matilda Ernkrans, Miljö- och Jordbruksutskottet, Jens Berggren, Stockholm International Water Institute, diskuterar forskningens roll för dricksvattnet.
 

Matilda Ernkrans, Miljö- och Jordbruksutskottet: Politikerna behöver lära sig mer om vattenkvalitéfrågor.
 

Panel: R-L Elisabeth Folkunger, Sida, John Matthews, WWF, James Dalton, IUCN, and Per Stenbäck, WaterAid Sweden

A week ahead of the Cop16 climate negotiations in Cancun, Mexico, the world still remembers some of the shortcomings of earlier summits. Those shortcomings have taken a while to settle in, and looking back to Cop 15 in Copenhagen, Denmark, experts today said the expectations were too high and the negotiation processes too complex.

The complexity of the negotiation process is not merely a temporary issue during summits; reaching concrete and satisfactory agreements requires long lasting, active communication between the different actors at all levels, all year round.

Panel debaters at today’s Swedish Water House seminar on “Environmental flows as a tool for climate change adaptation” were in consensus on the importance of cross-sector, global communication on what is “good” climate change mitigation and adaptation.

They noted that some adaptation measures can be harmful if they seek to reverse, delay, or change the direction of the effects of climate change. Therefore it is very important to provide global guidelines, best practice recommendations and leave the room open for sovereign implementation within an international agreement.

There was also consensus on the importance of using the same terminology, as different communities (e.g. engineers, policy makers, climate negotiators, water professionals, etc) use different terms to describe the same things. This results in putting obstacles to coming to terms on agreeable conditions.

Earlier during the seminar, several scientists provided their take on what are “environmental flows” and how looking at them can provide us with a tool to analyse and act on climate change.

Dr. Mats Eriksson at SIWI (ICIMOD earlier) gave his view on “climate change and the risk for extreme weather conditions,” warning that too much or too little water can be catastrophic in many vulnerable areas, with severe effects on ecosystems but also women, children and the elderly.

Drawing examples from Nepal and Pakistan, he pointed that local knowledge and predictions can be sometimes the key to the survival of local populations ahead of a destructive storm, but even those that survive, are becoming the world’s climate refugees who undergo many socio-economic strains in the aftermath of the storm.

Carin Nilsson, from the Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute (SMHI), said Sweden is predicted to witness gradual increases in temperature, ranging from 2 C to 6 C between the south and the north of the country, over the next 100 years or so. This will be coupled with increases in the intensity of rain storms, and rain in general.

Birgitta Malm Renöfält at Umeå University, Sweden, provided an introduction to “environmental flows” and the different methods used in studying them, based on the Brisbane declaration of 2007. “Environmental Flows (eFlows) refer to water provided within a river, wetland or coastal zone to maintain ecosystems and the benefits they provide to people.”

“Environmental flows - the flow regimes left in rivers, or restored to developed rivers - are a central tool helping resource managers to protect the biodiversity, resilience and ecological goods and services provided by healthy riverine ecosystems,” she said.

Dr. James Dalton from the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), presented adaptation hands-on experiences from the Pangaini basin Tanzania and Kenya. He concluded that the world must move forward beyond the current knowledge base and networking to capacity development and policy influencing (i.e. from planning to implementation). In order to achieve that, fast-track funding will be needed to cover guidance and implementation.

This was supported by the last lecturer for the day, John Mathews of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). He argued that field implementation and international law formation must be achieved in parallel, and that significant efforts are made in this regards. He said it was important that change takes place “where the money is,” to be able to finance successful implementation of adaptation plans.

After this thorough presentation of the concept of environmental flows and its possible scope of implementation the speakers agreed that e-flows is a possible and interesting adaptation tool. E-Flows give rivers and beneficiary communities resilience in a changing climate. It is a practical tool to learn and understand the characteristics of Riverine ecosystems, to read the “hydrological finger prints” of the river and to respond to changes efficiently, while reducing risks and ensuring responsible use of the resources that balances economy, ecology, and hydrology.

by Rami Abdelrahman, SIWI

Ännu en varm dag på Gotland bland seminarier och politiker. Många har jobbat över sina gränser hela våren och nu gäller att satsa allt i valrörelsen. Här är vi så på ett seminarium om världens utmaningar som klimatförändring och förstörelsen av ekosystemen. Hur orkar man? Är det inte hemskt jobbigt att prata om detta mitt i sommaren?

Johan Gerklev (Miljöchef, Skanska), Carin Jämtin (socialdemokraterna), Svante Axelsson (Generalsekreterare, Naturskyddsföreningen), Sten Bergström (Professor, SMHI)
 
Sten Bergström, professor på SMHI håller med om att det är jobbigt. Det är inte så kul att på släktmiddagen vara partydödare och prata om att vi måste sluta åka till Thailand på semester. Klimatproblematiken är nödvändig kunskap.  ”Det som driver mig är att medvetenheten om problemen ökar”. Det spelar ingen roll om det är roligt eller inte, vi bara måste klara dessa utmaningar. Om man är ute och promenerar och blir trött kan man ta en taxi hem, det kan vi inte göra här.
 
Helena Markenstedt från Fair Trade jämför med löpning, om man är fler som springer orkar man längre. Här ser jag att vi inte är ensamma och det gör att jag orkar mer.
 
”Att fira segrar, som när vi fick svanenmärkning på vårt första hus” är en anledning på varför Johan Gerklev från Skanska orkar jobba vidare med dessa frågor.
 
”Jag orkar för det är kul när vi ser förändring och jag drivs av att det är nödvändigt” fortsätter Svante Axelsson från Naturskyddsföreningens. Han fortsätter men en vädjan till politiker att ta mer modiga beslut och våga ge sig in i ett djupare samtal. Vad är det egentligen som ger oss lyckliga liv? Konsumtion av varor eller …?

Anders Modig (Hållbarhetsexpert, ÅF), Helena Markstedt (Generalsekreterare, Fairtrade), Sofia Arkelsten (moderaterna)

Carin Jämtin (S) och Sofia Arkensten (M) har flera gemensamma mål i till exempel klimatfrågan. ”Att rädda världen, var min motivation till att ge mig in i politiken, frågan som delar oss är hur” säger Sofia som får energi från de små delsegrarna. Carin berättar om sin mormor som alltid tvättade sina plastpåsar och med små medel klarade mycket. ”Jag tänker på henne när jag blir trött och då orkar jag lite till”.
 

av Anneli Nordling, klustergruppsledaren, Klimat, vatten och sårbarhet

Almedalsdax igen, tredje gången för Swedish Water House.
 

EUs Östersjöstrategi - från ord till handling

Efter gårdagens seminarium är det mellandag idag och vi laddar om inför morgondagens seminarium om vatten och företagsansvar. Det mesta är sig likt, men jag ser fler ministrar och ledande politiker än någonsin. Samtidigt konstaterar vi att antalet miljörelaterade seminarier är färre och klimatfrågan svalare. Vi hittar dock ett intressant vattenseminarium som arrangeras av andra än oss och flera seminarier om miljö, etik och företagsansvar. Helt klar har intresset ökat för just frågor om vatten och företagsansvar, liksom frågor om konsumentmaktsfrågor, så SWHs satsningar ligger väl till. Ser fram mot en spännande dag i morgon.

av Karin Lexén, chef
 

God vattenkvalité är direkt avgörande för miljö, hälsa, utveckling och välfärd. Trots detta brottas vi fortfarande med utsläpps- och övergödningsproblem och i många delar av världen saknas vattenrening från såväl hushåll som industrier. Vad Sverige gör för att lyfta vattenfrågorna i det globala utvecklingsarbetet och hur de politiska prioriteringarna ser ut framöver är frågor som kommer diskuteras på seminariet under FN:s Världsvattendag den 22 mars.

Utsläpps- och övergödningsproblem var även i fokus under konferensen Avlopp & Kretslopp som hölls i Linköping förra veckan. Under två dagar träffades miljöinspektörer, förtroendevalda, teknikleverantörer, forskare, representanter för länsstyrelser m.fl. och diskuterade svenska exempel på kommunalt förändringsarbete, tekniknyheter och växtnäring i kretslopp. Vidare berättade representanter från Naturvårdsverket, Boverket och Vattenmyndigheterna om sitt arbete och vad som är aktuellt när det gäller vatten och avlopp, och kanske framför allt hur enskilda avlopp ska hanteras och åtgärdas. Bland annat driver Naturvårdsverket just nu en tillsynskampanj ”Små avlopp ingen skitsak” i samarbete med kommuner och länsstyrelser i syfte att fler fastighetsägare ska utrusta sina avlopp med godtagbar rening. Naturvårdsverkets havsmiljöanslag finansierar under två år ”Kunskapscentrum Små Avlopp” som ska ta fram oberoende och kvalitetssäkrad information och kunskap om teknik, lagstiftning, kommunikation och planering. Kunskapscentrum ska även fungera som ett forum för erfarenhetsutbyte och utbildning, allt i syfte att påskynda åtgärdandet av de små avloppen. Både tillsynskampanjen och uppbyggandet av kunskapscentrum är resultat av prioriteringar och vilja att påskynda processer för att miljön ska bli bättre för alla. Detta nationella arbete hoppas jag även kan visa vägen för andra.

En person som har lyckats med att koppla ihop nationellt och internationellt är Gunilla Brattberg, fd Programme Director på EcoSanRes, Stockholm Environment Institute samt tidigare Miljö- och Utvecklingschef vid Stockholm Vatten. Under konferensen tilldelades Gunilla 2010 års Avlopp och Kretsloppspris med motiveringen att hon under lång tid varit pådrivande vad gäller utveckling av mer hållbara VA-system i Sverige och internationellt, och att hon dessutom har arbetat hårt för att sprida kunskap såväl nationellt som internationellt om avloppssystemets betydelse för samhällets kretsloppsflöden.

Vatten, avlopp och kretslopp – allt hänger ihop såväl i Sverige som i världen!

av Anna Norström, Swedish Water House

Bella Center is becoming more and more like a fort. As we arrive in the dark, cold December morning, police cars, military vehicles and helicopters surrounds the building. The NGOs and IGOs that are lucky enough to have registered earlier and are holders of so called "secondary passes", the extra ticket verifying that your international organization, accredited to the UNFCCC, has given you priority amongst its members registered to the COP 15, are lining up before the security. This morning it takes us only 40 minutes to get through, so we are pretty happy.

Inside the building, we notice that even if media has been present all the time, now they are here in big numbers and with their star reporters. As the morning turns into mid day, the high level plenary with environmental ministers and early arrived heads of state, is finally beginning meanwhile negotiations continues behind closed doors. Since neither NGOs nor journalists are allowed inside all of us are hovering around the public spaces, trying to get information on the latest move. The atmosphere is tensed and many fear for a total breakdown, even if the arrival of ministers and heads of states brings in a new momentum and new hope.


Ania Grobicki and Karin Lexén at last week's press conference.

Earlier, we have succeeded to get a couple of references to water resource and regional cooperation into the adaptation text, so we have been in a good mood in our little corner. Also, our press conference and side event attracted a lot of people, and we even succeeded to get some good media reporting so we are satisfied with our work. Now, however, in the very turbulent situation and the almost hostile feelings between the different negotiating groups, it is not so easy to keep up the spirit. Everyone is wondering what will happen to the text that has been negotiated by the civil servants throughout the year. People are referring to the two – or even three tracks that are being negotiated at the same time. Will there be a second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol (as has been the main track since 1997 in Kyoto, there are even provisions in the text for this) or another agreement with some kind of commitments or will it just end up with a political declaration?

Tomorrow, there are only 48 hours left. Bella Center will be emptied of all NGOs. When I am leaving the building on Wednesday evening, the security guard asks me; "Are you sure that you want to leave? You will not be able to enter again". Let us hope that those that are still allowed to enter will do their very best to find ways forward and to carefully catch the moment – the time is running out.


The world is waiting - is time running out, or will the last 48 hours of COP15 be enough to get a new deal in place?

by Karin Lexén

 We were happy to see so many in attendance at Swedish Water  House's “Mingle-seminar” last Friday.

 
 After a short introduction by Göran Ek of Naturskyddsföreningen of the launched policy brief " Adapting Water Management of Climate Change" (Att säkra vattenresurser i ett förändrat klimat) prepared by Swedish Water House's Cluster Group for Climate, Water and Vulnerability, opening remarks and response to the main issues raised in the policy brief were made by Elin Einfors, Stockholm University and Bo Kjellin, Stockholm Environment Institute. They stressed the importance of encouraging adaptive capacities of vulnerable people and ecosystems to the effects of current climate variability and future climate change and the need to focus on climate - water issues especially in the context of the upcoming climate negotiations at COP 15.

Short comments were also made by the parliament members Sofia Arkelsten (M), Per Bolund (MP), and Birgitta Ohlsson (FP) of their thoughts, expectations and hopes regarding mitigation and adaptation issues. They stressed the need for global unified action and the importance that Sweden takes action in a concrete and influential manner. But they also expressed concern that different countries and governments may prioritise other issues before climate.

Open statements and questions from the floor further penetrated the issues of how to increase awareness and prioritise water and climate issues and how we, at different scales and in different contexts, within Sweden and the EU, can work positively to meet the climate-related challenges ahead of us. 
 
 by Julie Wilk, Ph. D at SMHI

Communities in Kenya are facing a changing climate that threaten to put poor people into even tougher constrains. Today we got some ideas on how this can be tackled. 

Ms. Wangu Mutua told the participants at the Side Event "Separate Streams" at the World Water Week how Vi Agroforestry have supported farmers to develop a number of simple but ingenious actions to enhance their adaptability to a changing climate. I personally was impressed by the work with promoting the raising of low feed small animals. For example, chicken breeds that both can exist on lower levels of feed and are resistant to long drought periods. Ms Wangu also told about how farmers improve their agricultural practices by for example covering the earth between the plants with dry grass to limit evaporation. All methods they use are at field-level and do not require large investments. The staff of Vi Agroforestry live in the rural areas close to agricultural communities and engage with existing institutional groups, such as church groups that local people already trust and feel comfortable with.

I can understand that the work is difficult and it has taken a long time to reach the fruitful results that are being seen today. These results give more hope for the future. Since some groups have been successful with adaptation strategies to climate variability, it shows that it is possible for others to learn from them and to develop similar but locally adapted methods. If just a fraction of the money that is discussed for adaptation could support some programs like this one I believe there is greater hope for dignified livelihoods for many more people in a changing climate.

Read more about the Vi Agroforestry program in the newly published policy brief "Adapting water management to climate change".

by Anneli Nordling, Cluster Group Leader, Cluster Group Climate, Water and Vulnerability

Första dagen på vattenveckan, en första doft av höst i morgonluften. Young Water Professionals-seminariet var proppfullt med motiverade studenter och unga människor i början av karriären. Jag har lärt mig en hel del nytt. Till exempel att läckande vattenledningar är ett särskilt stort problem i de megastäder som ransonerar kranvattnet - där det är vattenbrist. Det är alltså inte bara fysisk brist på vatten som leder till lite vatten i kranarna, utan att det är hål i vattenledningarna! Vilken utmaning som ligger framför dessa städer att byta ut och laga alla ledningar som börjar bli gamla nu. Eller som ingen har haft råd att sköta sedan de byggdes.

En hållbar stad måste numera också bygga flexibla system som klarar av både mer och mindre vatten i framtiden. Vi vet inte exakt hur klimatförändringar kommer slå, och därför måste man ny tänka på ett nytt sätt när man bygger infrastruktur som rör vatten. Förbereda för extra pumpstationer till exempel. En utmaning är också hur samhällen ska börja bygga för framtida generationers behov och inte bara de behov som vi själva har just nu. Det låter bra, men hur genomför man det politiskt? Hur kan man argumentera nationalekonomiskt? Svaren kommer säkerligen diskuteras under veckan som kommer. Det ser jag fram emot!
 

av Ann-Mari Karlsson, Water and Rights cluster group leader

Time for World water week again; busy corridors, great meetings, lots of fun…

The Swedish water house will be busy during the week in launching two new policy briefs… and several seminars and side events… As usual many burning topics will be discussed and transboundary waters will be in focus.

Another hot issue; water and climate change will be intensively discussed throughout the week; how can the water community contribute the best to the climate change processes and what role will water have in the COP-15 agreement? Watch out for exiting discussions and results!

by Karin Lexén, Director, Swedish water House

The ferry trip from Nynäshamn to Visby and Almedalen took less than three hours, but that was more than enough time for even casual observers to see evidence of what’s ailing the Baltic. Driftlines of algae cut diagonally with the wind across our course, creating a geometric pattern stretching out in all directions to the horizon.  I had heard about the algae problem and its causes from my colleagues at SIWI, but seeing it first hand drove the problem home.

As an American with professional roots in public policy and issues advocacy, I came to Almedalen with certain expectations about the types of discourse I would find.  I was not disappointed, especially in regard to the level of interest in environmental issues.  During the first part of the week, our Swedish Water House seminars attracted capacity audiences to discuss topics such as corporate water footprints, water in the middle east, water and climate...and the Baltic.

That programme lineup proved to be well integrated with the robust agenda of environmentally-themed sessions throughout the week. I was impressed by the diversity of the audiences at our seminars and especially by the informed questions they posed to our speakers and panels.  The discussions struck an uncommon balance of intensity, civility, and humor...precisely the kind of civic engagement that can drive productive solutions in a progressive democracy.

I departed Visby in mid-week after a brief stay of just over 48 hours. But on the boat returning to the mainland, I felt slightly more optimistic that, with the concern and focus I had witnessed during Almedalsveckan, there might be hope for the Baltic after all.
 

by: Michael McWilliams, Stockholm International Water Institute

Den frågan ställde vi oss idag, då vi samlade en imponerande grupp politiker och sakkunniga för tisdagens eftermiddagsseminarium. Under titeln "Anpassning till klimateffekter i utsatta länder - en försummad nyckelfråga i klimatförhandlingarna?" pratades det om investeringar från privat sektor, klimatsäkring i biståndet och Sveriges prioriteringar i klimatförhandlingarna.
 

Från vänster: Anders Wijkman, europaparlamentariker, Per Bolund (mp),
Anders Ygeman (s), Sofia Arkelsten (m), Åsa-Britt Karlsson, statssekreterare Miljödepartementet.

Den avslutande panelen bjöd på en livlig och intressant diskussion kring hur man ska kunna ta vara på erfarenhet och kunnande från separata sektorer i de övergripande förhandlingarna, och se till att pengar och åtgärder når dit där de behövs mest. Dessutom diskuterades Sveriges roll under EU-ordförandeskapet.
 

The Swedish Water House will once again be heavily involved in the upcoming World Water Week in Stockholm, from August 16-22, 2009. It is shaping up to be an exciting programme and the Second Announcement is hot off the press and now available at www.worldwaterweek.org. The theme for 2009 is “Responding to Global Changes: Accessing Water for the Common Good” with a special focus on Transboundary Waters.

The Swedish Water House will once again support the involvement of Junior Rapporteurs at the World Water Week. These JRs will team up with a lead rapporteur and follow specific themes throughout the week with the goal of presenting their reflections at the closing plenary session and preparing a thematic report for the Synthesis Report of the week. From the reaction we received from last year’s Junior Rapporteurs, we are sure this will continue to be an exciting (but very intense) opportunity for many students and water professionals starting their careers. We are now starting the selection process for the JRs by going through almost 100 applications received over the past few months.

SWH will convene a number of events as well. SWH events range from the Young Water Professionals seminar on Sunday to the Water Footprint seminar on Tuesday to the Water and Climate Focus days on Wednesday and Thursday. We continue our support to the European Union Water Initiative (EUWI) Multistakeholder Forum by funding a number of participants from developing countries. Our cluster groups will play an active role in organizing the environmental flows seminar, two side events on the right to water, and two side events on water and climate change. It’s going to be a busy week!

For more information on Swedish Water House involvement in the week, stay tuned to this website as well as www.worldwaterweek.org.

by Michael Moore