A Low Carbon Water Industry in 2050 - Environment Agency

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References 1. Water U.K., Sustainability Indicators 2007/2008, Water U.K., 2008. 2. Curriero, F., Patz, J., Rose, J. and Lele, S., The Association Between Extreme Precipitation and Waterborne Disease Outbreaks in the United States, 1948–1994. American Journal of Public Health, 91, 1194-1199, 2001. 3. McDonough, W and Braungart, G., Cradle-to-Cradle, North Point Press, 2002. 4. Pacala S. and Socolow, R. Stabilization Wedges: Solving the Climate Problem for the Next 50 Years with Current Technologies, Science, 305, 968-972, 2004. 28 A Low Carbon Water Industry in 2050
6 A Low Carbon Water Industry by 2050 Professor David Butler Director, Centre for Water Systems, University of Exeter Introduction The UK is the first nation in the world to commit itself to reducing carbon emissions by at least 80%, compared with 1990 levels, by 2050, with the aim of creating a ‘low carbon society’. This will begin with a 20% reduction by 2020 (Committee on Climate Change, 2008). The water industry is a very large user of energy, it consumes 8100 GWh per annum resulting in over 4 million tonnes of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions; about 1% of all UK emissions. It is the fourth most energy intensive sector in the UK (POST, 2007) with the costs for bought in power accounting for over 13% of total production costs (Marshall, 1998). The national target poses a huge challenge for Water Service Providers (WSPs). No single measure, or group of measures, will achieve the target and only radical thinking coupled with root and branch reform throughout the sector will be good enough. This will consist of an extensive portfolio of mitigation and adaptation strategies, ranging from behaviour change through to technology upgrade and replacement, and from improved energy efficiency to renewable energy production. Of course, in all this the core activities of the sector must be maintained, including safe production and delivery of drinking water and safe return to the environment of used water. This short article will identify three different aspects of the business and discusses the problems and the potential for contributing towards the low carbon goal: customers, company and suppliers. Customers The water efficiency agenda is now well established within the UK water industry thanks to work by partners in Defra’s Water Saving Group 1 , waterwise 2 and the WATERSAVE 3 network. WSP’s commitment to water efficiency is moving beyond the legal ‘duty to promote’ and is currently being strengthened by Ofwat’s voluntary (and then probably mandatory) water efficiency targets. So far, the motivation behind water efficiency has been to reduce per capita water consumption (to the government’s target of 130 litres per person per day by 2030), but with particular emphasis on water stressed areas. Targets set in the Code for Sustainable Homes are even more onerous and are set at 80 litres per person per day at level 6 (CLG, 2008). It is clear that a water efficiency agenda can, in principle, also serve an energy saving agenda. Each megalitre of water that is not used will reduce the energy delivery and disposal needs and their associated carbon emissions by 0.969 tCO 2 e (Water UK, 2008). However, a recent insight is the importance of hot water. Approximately, 30% of 1 www.defra.gov.uk/environment/water/conserve/wsg/ 2 www.waterwise.org.uk 3 www.watersave.uk.net A Low Carbon Water Industry in 2050 29
Page 1 and 2: A Low Carbon Water Industry in 2050
Page 3 and 4: Evidence at the Environment Agency
Page 5 and 6: • make appropriate and effective
Page 7 and 8: 1 Introduction This introduction su
Page 9 and 10: Infrastructure Implications Regardi
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Page 17 and 18: emain very difficult and often unec
Page 19 and 20: Final Effluent Uses By 2050, consen
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Page 27 and 28: e diverted to communities to reduce
Page 29 and 30: Figure 2 - Technology/Interventions
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Page 33: first 20%. At some point a balance
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Page 39 and 40: Conclusion As can be seen from this
Page 41 and 42: The 2050 low-carbon vision The wate
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Page 45 and 46: Figure 2: The ‘tipping point’ c
Page 47: List of abbreviations AMP Asset Man

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