Urban areas, and the water they consume, carry away and process, forms a complex network of interconnected communities and ecosystems. In addition, the pressures of continued urban development and a changing climate have led to impacts such as floods and droughts impacting all aspects of urban systems, causing disruption to transport networks, energy supply, equitable access to water and food, industrial output, tourism, ecosystem functioning and human health. Globally, evidence shows that these impacts lead to increased inequality in society – vulnerable or marginalized groups (such as women,
youth, indigenous communities, homeless residents and others) tend to feel the greatest impact and lack access to support in increasing resilience.
These impacts are universal – urban areas in the global north and the global south are affected by the impact of water. At the same time, inspirational solutions to our urban water problems are emerging from all corners of the globe.
This session convenes practitioners in a discussion with Congress participants on what an integrated approach to urban water resilience might look like. Of particular interest is learning from local and regional governments on how they have become more engaged in catchment management, worked with nature to secure water storage and flood control, and improved the equitable and efficient supply of water to communities while reducing losses and minimizing the impact of effluents on ecosystems.
Speakers:
- Brett KenCairn, Senior Division Manager of Nature-based Solutions, City of Boulder, United States
- Claudio Klemz, Water Policy Specialist, The Nature Conservancy, Brazil
- Rodrigo Levkovicz, Executive Director, Forestry Foundation, State of São Paulo, Brazil
- Ruth Moncayo, Engineer, Public Water Company (Emapa), City of Ambato, Ecuador
- Tebogo Modiba, Executive Director, Environment and Infrastructure Services, City of Johannesburg, South Africa
- Marília Israel de Azevedo Borges, Biodiversity and Resilience Advisor, ICLEI South America Secretariat
Moderator:
Anton Earle, Global Coordinator: Water Systems, ICLEI Africa Secretariat
