Water Tracker Event Shines Spotlight on Water Adaptation at COP26
Adaptation is getting more attention at COP26 than ever before. This week, the UK Government announced £290 million in new funding dedicated to climate adaptation. This follows Biden’s announcement last week that the US Government has quadrupled its climate finance commitments and earmarked $3 billion each year to help developing countries adapt to climate change.
The world is starting to wake up to the fact that climate change is happening right now. Even with our most ambitious efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, further change is inevitable. And water is at the center of these discussions.
Last week on the first day of the Water Pavilion at COP26 in Glasgow, AGWA hosted a high-level event to showcase the work of the Water Tracker for National Climate Planning, part of the Adaptation Action Coalition.
Vijay Rangarajan, Director General of America and Overseas Territories of the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth, & Development Office, opened the event by underscoring the centrality of water in adapting to a warming planet. He highlighted the importance of countries sharing best practices and learning from one other, with the Adaptation Action Coalition and the Water Tracker as prime examples of such efforts to accelerate the transition to a climate-resilient world.
Henk Ovink, Special Envoy for International Water Affairs for the Kingdom of the Netherlands, announced the Government of The Netherland’s support for the Water Tracker, a self-assessment tool for building water resilience in national climate plans.
“The Water Tracker will enable us to be a driving force to improve water resilience in national planning towards a sustainable future, a resilient future, a climate-equitable future, but also as a stepping stone towards the UN 2023 Water Conference,” he said.
Michael Krake, Director General of Global Health, Private Sector, Trade & Rural Development at the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, described the Adaptation Action Coalition and the Water Tracker as “bridges over the troubled waters that we are in with the climate crisis we are facing.”
Ingrid Timboe, Policy Director at AGWA explained:
“Water is embedded in climate change commitments but it’s not always explicitly mentioned. So one of the things we’re trying to do with the Water Tracker is to understand where water fits on both the mitigation and adaptation sides. Not just in the water sector, as we know that water is primarily used outside of the water sector.”
“Neglecting the integration of water throughout the formal processes of the Paris Agreement puts many of the actions and targets at significant risk of failure,” warned Michael Krake. “We need to water the climate agenda to strengthen climate change mitigation and adaptation goals.”
The event showcased the experiences of three countries — Egypt, Costa Rica and Malawi — in applying the Water Tracker to their national climate planning processes.
In Egypt, the Water Tracker will be used to support monitoring and coordination across different sectors and institutions. Dr. Mohamed Abd Al Aty, Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation, Government of Egypt, spoke of a series of ambitious projects planned to address the country’s mounting water challenges, including investment in modern irrigation systems, water use efficiency, cooperation with Nile Basin countries, and water treatment and re-use.
Mario López Pérez, Country Engagement Specialist at AGWA, presented results of using the Water Tracker to assess several of Costa Rica’s national climate plans. The analysis showed that water resources are well understood but water uncertainty is rarely reflected in the flexibility of proposed actions. Identification of gaps and opportunities in the planning documents will enable improvements to these climate instruments, and will help prioritise a portfolio of multi-sector projects to build water resilience and connect with climate finance institutions.
In Southeastern Africa, the Republic of Malawi has positioned water as a solution to climate change, according to Nancy Tembo, Minister of Forestry and Natural Resources, speaking at the event:
“We expect that the Water Tracker will be able to assist in tracking the implementation of the planned water activities in the national climate plans, that can promote sector coordination and financing of activities.
We hope that the Water Tracker will help reduce the time of planning and implementation of water activities in the face of climate change. In this way it will be possible to achieve a water-secure Malawi that is resilient to climate change. We therefore welcome the use of the Water Tracker to achieve our climate plans,” said Nancy Tembo.
Henk Ovink concluded his remarks by urging countries to participate in the Water Tracker project:
“At this moment, three countries have joined the Water Tracker and another six are interested. It’s only the beginning. We call out to more countries, so that next year at COP27 we hope to announce that 24 or 48 or 96 have engaged the Water Tracker,” he said.
If you’re interested in getting involved in applying the Water Tracker or would like to find out more, contact Ingrid Timboe, Policy Director at AGWA.