With this yearly overshoot day reminding us that we need to learn how to do more with less, new studies also reveal that we are not on track with reaching our shared, global deadline of obtaining clean water and sanitation for all by 2030. This calls for more attention on water and sanitation issues in the global political agenda, and on even more efficient and sustainable solutions to water distribution and wastewater management.
In the EU alone, up to 40 % of water is wasted from the well to the consumer. Some cities use as much as 40 % of the total energy consumption on handling and treating water, while 80 % of wastewater runs untreated into the natural environment damaging streams, rivers, lakes and seas. Indeed, the water crisis seems insurmountable at times. To handle these problems, it is essential that we all look at the solutions we have and our responsibility to make them available where they are most needed. The UN Sustainable Development Goals have the potential to make the free market forces pull towards a better world. In fact, it just might be the only way for us to afford to make a difference that counts.
