On behalf of the BonnWaterNetwork (BWN), Prof. Dr. Mariele Evers, head of the working group Ecohydrology and Water Resources Management and the UNESCO-Chair in Human-Water-Systems, was invited to be a panellist at the Sustainable Movie Night of GIZ (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit).
The documentary “The fight for water” served as a basis for the discussion on current and future challenges of water management and scarcity, regional action as well as learnings and innovations.
Further panellists at the Sustainable Movie Night were Alexandra Jaik (Project Manager “NRW Wasserwende”, at a tip: tap), Dieter Rothenberger (Head of programme “Water Policy - Innovations of Resilience (WaPo-RE)”, at GIZ), Philipp Hoeffken (Specialist, at Property Division GIZ) and Dr. Nico Janicke (Deputy Chairman of the Environment and Local Agenda Committee of the City of Bonn, SPD Parliamentary Group in the Bonn City Council).
The different backgrounds of the panellists provided an inside into challenges and approaches at local, regional and global levels, with perspectives from science, policy and practice. At the local level, the city of Bonn shared challenges as well as projects and approach, such as its “Schwammstadt” concept. On the other hand, GIZ, as a large employer in Bonn, shared insides on reducing water consumption in their campus building in Bonn. The link was also made to personal abilities towards better water management.
The regional perspective was covered by a tip: tap “Wasserwende NRW” and its best practice examples in the federal state. Ms. Jaik was also asked to share important steps for the future in terms of water scarcity and basic drinking water supply.
At the global level, Mr. Rothenberger gave a brief introduction to existing water policies. He also shared best practice examples of integrated approaches to address water scarcity.
Prof. Dr. Evers shared her scientific perspective on the impacts of climate change on water availability. She also discussed the support of networks to address water challenges, but also to raise awareness and support pathways to transformation, based on the insides of the BonnWaterNetwork.
Panel discusssion with:
- Prof. Dr. Mariele Evers, Professorship for Geography, focus on Ecohydrology and Water Resources Management at the University of Bonn, UNESCO-Chair in Human-Water-Systems and representative of one member of the BonnWaterNetwork
- Alexandra Jaik, Project Manager “NRW Wasserwende”, a tip: tap
- Dieter Rothenberger, Head of programme “Water Policy - Innovations of Resilience (WaPo-RE)”, GIZ
- Philipp Hoeffken, Specialist, Property Division GIZ
- Dr. Nico Janicke, Stellv. Vorsitzender der Ausschüsse für Umwelt und Lokale Agenda in der Stadt Bonn, SPD-Fraktion im Rat der Stadt Bonn
