Digitalisation Makes Water Smart
“Network” is a key word for our time, but few networks are as deeply rooted in the territory as irrigation systems. Until now, however, the thousands of kilometres of canals, embankments...
Europe cannot afford to weaken its water protection laws
This article is part of the thematic channel The Water Observer: subscribe to our newsletter and receive exclusive contents from the world of water Europe’s water crisis is no longer a warnin...
Water as a target in the Iran war
This article is part of the thematic channel The Water Observer: subscribe to our newsletter and receive exclusive contents from the world of water The recent wave of strikes in the Third Gulf War ...
Startup, RiverRecycle: the River-cleaning Service that Gets Communities Involved
“Investing in sustainable solutions is the most effective way to combat ocean plastic pollution. Charitable initiatives alone are not enough. We must put capitalism at the service of a cleaner...
Waste Water Directive and EPR: appeals by pharmaceutical and cosmetics industries rejected
The Court of Justice of the European Union has declared inadmissible a set of appeals filed by companies and associations in the pharmaceutical and cosmetics sectors against the extended producer re...
Stopping the rise of the lakes in the Rift Valley
Last year, around five thousand people were displaced by the rising water level of Lake Naivasha, 50 kilometres from Nairobi. Similarly happened on Lakes Nakuru and Lake Baringo, located further nor...
The OECD Reshapes the Global Water Agenda: What Is Its Legitimacy?
From the end of World War II, the United Nations and Bretton Woods Institutions dominated the world water order. They facilitated funding for water infrastructure, and they defined norms, institutio...
PFAS: inaction will cost the EU €440 billion by 2050
Four hundred and forty billion euros. That is the cost that European society risks incurring by 2050 if the current levels of contamination from PFAS, the so-called “forever chemicals”, ...
More and more regions around the world are facing water bankruptcy
There were algae, carp, sturgeon, and other fish, fishing boats and canning factories. Along the shores of the Aral Sea, on the border between Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, a vibrant community once liv...
Safer Tap Water Thanks to Water Safety Plans
Ensuring high-quality drinking water is one of the most pressing challenges for public health and environmental sustainability. But what does guaranteeing "safe" water mean? Until a few years ago, r...
Water, between governance and technological innovation: the 2026 events
In 2026, water will be the testing ground for transition. No longer a sectoral issue, but rather an invisible infrastructure that holds together climate, production, cities, agriculture and social s...
The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam and the Fading Relevance of International Water Law
In September, Ethiopia unveiled the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), hailing it as a “generational victory”. Standing before the dam's cascading waters, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed ...
A valuable COP for undervalued wetlands
COP30 in Brazil is done and dusted. As always, the outcome was mixed with many crying “too little, too slow”, while others pointed to potentially significant progress woven into the fina...
Italy’s first biogas-powered heating and cooling plant opens in Peschiera Borromeo
Italy has inaugurated its first integrated district heating and cooling system powered entirely by biogas generated from sewage sludge, marking a significant step toward large-scale circular energy ...
EIB and Gruppo CAP sign €100 million deal to modernise Lombardy’s water systems
The European Investment Bank (EIB) and Gruppo CAP have signed a €100 million finance agreement to support the company’s 2025–2030 investment plan. The announcement was made by EIB D...
Water crisis: the subtle rise of managed aquifer recharge
They allow water to be stored in its most precious reservoir, the subsoil, with lower environmental impacts and costs than surface aquifers. Yet, for decades, managed aquifer recharge (MAR) tec...
Elizabeth A. Koch: “Who is missing from the rooms of water diplomacy?”
For much of modern history, water diplomacy has been a predominantly male domain. From engineers, hydrologists, and agronomists designing irrigation systems to the “hydro-bureaucrats” ma...
Turning water from a problem into a resource: the challenge of sustainable cities
To counter climate change, we must rethink the way we design and experience our cities: public health, the environment, urban planning and innovation must converge in a single “One Health&rdqu...
Water at the heart of COP30: what to expect after the Baku turning point
Within the global debate on the climate crisis, water represents a central paradox. According to experts, it is the element through which approximately 70% of the impacts of climate change manifest ...
Water Cycle and Blue Economy Take Center Stage at Ecomondo 2025
Water is increasingly becoming the most transversal sector of the green economy — a crucial resource that embodies the urgency of circular management and sustainable innovation. At Ecomon...