In the Gulf region, agriculture - including ‘landscape greening’ and forestry - consumes large quantities of water, accounting for as much as 70 percent of demand, compared to 20 percent for households and 10 percent for industry.
The UAE is home to several innovative pioneers and global leaders in the field of sustainable water provision. Efforts have been made in the country to limit water consumption and the UAE has also become an important centre for hydroponic agriculture – growing plants in nutrient solutions, instead of soil and water, that use far less water than conventional agriculture.
Professor Hannah’s address focussed on the ‘Price of Water’, but also covered several areas for concern in region and beyond.
His contribution touched on the poor water quality crisis, which remains a pervasive problem. Humans are polluting water more rapidly and diversely than ever and there is a need for holistic water management and a move beyond regulating individual chemicals.
There are also emerging ‘wicked’ problems where water extremes of flood, drought and pollution can combine to create extreme situations with complex interactions of negative outcomes. Creating better, interconnected scenarios will help policymakers develop more effective ways of dealing with these situations.
Professor Hannah also pointed to the importance of updating our understanding of the water cycle. He noted that humans have limited understanding of how the water cycle really works and how we fit into it. Ensuring adequate water for humans and ecosystems will require co-ordinated efforts that extend beyond geopolitical borders and outlast individual administrations.
As part of his role as UNESCO Chair in Water Science, Professor Hannah is keen to improve education about the water cycle, including how water moves around the planet and how people influence this movement.
