ClimatePrep

The Kathryn Fuller Science for Nature Symposium, supported by HSBC 

On November 3 – 4, 2009 WWF convened the 4th annual Kathryn Fuller Science for Nature Symposium: Securing Water for Nature and People in a Changing Climate with support from HSBC. Watch the video below for brief interviews with the Symposium speakers. 

 “At the Water’s Edge” discusses one of the greatest challenges of the 21st Century, water management. Some thirst for water. Others waste it. The world’s population continues to increase. Agriculture, industry and energy demand more and more water. The impacts of climate change are looming. Pressure on freshwater supplies has never been greater. The result is a threat to the world’s economy, the environment and one of our world’s most precious resources.    

England’s Chalk Stream Ecosystems at Risk

WWF-UK recently released Rivers on the Edge which highlights the beauty and challenges facing the chalk streams of southern England and northern France. Such small freshwater systems are critical to greater ecosystem functioning and act as crucial reservoirs of biodiversity. Unfortunately, being a small system means that not only are they often overlooked in conversation efforts, but they are also more vulnerable than large ecosystems. The majority of these streams are under immense pressure as they are in the greater London area. Near the end of the video, climate change adaptation in the form of water use efficiency is discussed. The adaptive methods they discuss can be implemented everywhere. Keeping water in rivers by decreasing our society’s excessive use of water gives these small systems a little bit more time to adjust to a shifting climate.