Stimulating the Blue Economy: Cities Making Waves

The water sector is particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change: rainfall is increasingly unpredictable, yet intense storms can overwhelm the wastewater network and lead to sewage discharges. The majority of England is classed as “water-stressed”, yet with the government pledging 1.5 million new homes before 2029 and the UK’s population expected to grow by 5 million in the next decade, pressure on the availability and quality of water resources is only increasing. Nature-first approaches are increasingly playing a role in helping the water sector to build resilience to climate change, restore biodiversity and create blue-green spaces for people to enjoy.   

 
This discussion will look at how the Ofwat Innovation Fund is accelerating innovation in nature-first approaches to address some of the biggest challenges faced by the water sector today.