The Minister of Foreign Action, Institutional Relations and Transparency, Bernat Solé, has called on the Advisory Council for Sustainable Development (CADS) to address a debate on the use, management, and access to water in Catalonia. Solé has highlighted that it is a "basic, precious, and transformative resource for the environment and the economy" and one of the "most important issues we have as a society," about which "no major national debate has taken place that allows us to address it in its full dimension."
The first step will be to promote a series of debates on the future of water in Catalonia, with experts and relevant social actors from across the territory. This reflection process will result in a document of conclusions and proposals that will be submitted to the Government. Solé hopes to obtain a global study that "allows for a water balance without leaks" and from which it will be possible to "project, foresee, and legislate based on well-developed, and, if possible, consensual criteria." For the minister, this is "the beginning of a global approach," which could become "the embryo of a national pact for water."
Solé has emphasized the need to promote "an honest debate, without the constraints of sectoral interests, and that allows for a national agreement around one of the elements that most condition our lives and that will undoubtedly determine the present and future of the territory." For this reason, the minister has encouraged CADS to address "with breadth and depth" the "complex and transversal" issue of water, with a reflection that considers all possible aspects: sociological, economic, environmental, legal, or technical.
Guaranteeing access to water, a social issue
Currently, in Catalonia, the price of water can vary by up to 748% from one municipality to another. Furthermore, 44% of municipalities—comprising 77% of the total population—have an indirect management model for supply.
In Catalonia, the price of water can vary by up to 748% from one municipality to anotherAlthough the United Nations Development Program indicates that the cost of water should not exceed 3% of family income,in 2016, 8.9% of households in the Barcelona metropolitan area exceeded this threshold, and 3.3% received notices for non-payment. As for drinking water, it is estimated that consuming it filtered or bottled can mean a saving difference of 442 euros per year in a household.
The urgency of mitigating the effects of climate change
Climate projections show that, in a no-mitigation scenario, by 2050 annual precipitation could be reduced by 40% in Catalonia, reaching 75% in summer. To this fact, an increase in the irregularity of rainfall must be added. It is estimated that the economic impact of water scarcity episodes ---such as those that may occur as a consequence of climate change--- can reach 7.7% of GDP.
It is estimated that the economic impact of water scarcity episodes can reach 7.7% of GDP"We have often witnessed sectoral debates about whether the destination of water should prioritize the agri-food sector or preserve the good health of our rivers and deltas. In fact, we have reduced the water debate to this dichotomy, when it should be much more global," reflects Solé.
A roadmap for managing water with a future vision and in a sustainable key
The minister defends the need to "project public policies with a future outlook, with a global vision and on a model based on sustainability in all senses" and highlights that the CADS "allows for a vision and a diagnosis beyond the immediacy of the moment on major issues that will determine our future."
Solé emphasizes the coincidence of many of the issues raised with the Sustainable Development Goals set by the United Nations for the year 2030. In this regard, the president of the CADS, Ramon Roca, agrees that the challenge entrusted by the minister "fits perfectly with the mission of the CADS and the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development."
The CADS is a collegiate body created in 1998, attached to the Department of Foreign Action, whose function is to advise the Government of Catalonia on the integration of sustainability into its main policies and actions. It is composed of its president and fourteen members, including people of recognized prestige and representative of different economic and social sectors. The council formulates recommendations on complex realities, with a systemic vision and taking into account the diversity of actors that make up Catalan society.
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