JUNE 4 ― As we fight the global health crisis before us, climate change continues to be a ticking time bomb across the globe.

In a recent televised interview, former United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon came out to highlight the multiple disasters the world is currently facing, which has only been further accentuated by the ongoing pandemic.

In fact, Ban notes that the next 10 years will be crucially important for global leaders to work on the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

This threat is ever more present through our water resources. The ongoing Covid-19 crisis has further highlighted the importance of safeguarding our increasingly scarce water resources, and how an impending water shortage can have devastating consequences on everything from healthcare to food security.

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Closer to home, we are well familiar with the effects of climate change. The climate crisis has been triggering frequent weather events across Malaysia for many years that span both extremes, from flood disasters to droughts.

This has had a tremendous impact on the nation’s water supplies, as well as important industries like agricultural productions and fisheries.

While we continue to mitigate the effects of the pandemic and shift towards recovery, it is more crucial than ever that we recalibrate our focus on the environment.

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With this World Environment Day focused on the theme of “Ecosystem Restoration”, we are reminded of the importance of not only preserving what our natural environment offers us, but also ensuring we provide the conducive conditions for our ecosystems to thrive sustainably.

In a recent televised interview, former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon came out to highlight the multiple disasters the world is currently facing, which has only been further accentuated by the ongoing pandemic. — Reuters file pic
In a recent televised interview, former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon came out to highlight the multiple disasters the world is currently facing, which has only been further accentuated by the ongoing pandemic. — Reuters file pic

Reimagining our relationship with water

How do we address the urgent need to restore the Earth’s ecosystems, which includes our water resources, while still realistically meeting our everyday needs?

Malaysia's average daily per capita consumption is higher than the 165 litres a day recommended by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

While the government is hard at work on bringing those numbers down, it is evident that demand for water is significant in this country.

To inspire action, this year’s theme is backed by three pillars pointing to a global reset – Reimagine, Recreate, and Restore. These three words each shape the three key tenets that will be the driving force in restoring our water resources as well as the wider environment.

Firstly, reimagine our relationship with water. Technology has allowed us to reconsider Man’s relationship with the water system, which has traditionally been a one-way process, moving water from supply to demand.

Not only does this risk unnecessary water wastage when supply exceeds demand, excessive pressure from running a constantly high water supply can wear down our water infrastructure, leading to needless water loss through leakages.

This is an issue close to Malaysia, with millions of litres of treated water lost daily across our water systems.

Now, digital innovations are able to turn this relationship into a dialogue. Through technology such as real-time sensors and data analytics, we can have access to feedback throughout the process to intuitively manage supply according to demand.

This opens new doors to long-standing issues when it comes to water security, as well as facilitating pre-emptive and predictive maintenance of the entire system.

Water solutions providers like Grundfos have been integrating intelligence into its technology, and utilities globally are progressively leveraging digitalisation to support their daily operations.

Secondly, recreate our homes and cities. As the world becomes more urbanised, for us to truly support our natural resources, cities need to become smarter in their approaches to energy, water supply and wastewater management, empowering communities, and industries to be self-sufficient in a way that consumes the least resources.

In fact, change can start right at the heart of our homes. The future of living can see digitalisation and data used to help change our consumption rate, by increasing an individual’s awareness of their own water usage ― effectively empowering them with “water-wise” behaviour.

It can also facilitate the two-way relationship described earlier, by utilising sensors in our water systems to adjust their performance intuitively to the household’s demand, ensuring we use only as much as we need.

Tackling energy use key to restoring ecosystems

Lastly, restore our ecosystems through efficient energy use. The rampant use of fossil fuels and increased energy consumption to support industrialisation and development has led to greenhouse gas emissions that are contributing to climate change.

We cannot ignore the fact that nearly every process around us consumes energy – from HVAC systems in buildings, to driving water supplies, to industrial processes such as water treatment or heating and boiling.

And when there is one inefficient aspect of any system, it can contribute to significant energy use. For example, poorly designed pumps can use a significant portion of the world’s energy.

However, the digital era has equipped us with capabilities to drive significant efficiencies in our systems to combat climate change and protect our natural environment.

Playing a complementary role is the growing use of renewable energy across industries. Ultimately, countries need to re-evaluate their current business conditions and ensure that these are conducive for improved energy efficiency.

To further support this, governments need to encourage investment towards innovative green technologies, stimulating greater research and development.

As we look to emerge from the pandemic stronger, the hope for a sustainable world is picking up again among the next generation, businesses, and governments.

As we face increasingly harsher climate changes, how we survive and thrive in the next decade and beyond relies on how we set our sights on sustainability, and how we can achieve our environmental goals of restoring the world’s ecosystems.

* Giancarlo Roggiolani is Senior Regional Sales Director ― Domestic Building Services for APAC & China, Grundfos and Country Director of Grundfos Malaysia

** This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of Malay Mail.