Many of us take water for granted without considering the emissions associated with its treatment and distribution. Stephen Prendiville explores these hidden environmental costs and what we can do to mitigate them
According to Irish Water, we use upwards of 133 litres of water a day. This consumption is facilitated by hidden infrastructure that takes fresh water to treatment facilities, cleans it, pressurises and then pipes it to our homes and businesses where it is used for drinking, cooking, cleaning, washing, and flushing.
These processes and infrastructure have a hidden CO2 footprint, driven by the energy required to make it all work. Even before we click on our kettle or start up the electric shower, our water already has a significant carbon footprint attached to it.
Some observers have noted that our water and wastewater systems, and the energy required to power them, could account for as much as five percent of our total carbon footprint (more than three million tonnes of CO2 equivalent). And – shockingly – this may be a conservative estimate.
Mind your water
With this in mind, we must be mindful of our water consumption. How much more are we wasting through our own behaviours? Is there scope to improve? Without water charges and metres, our domestic water use in Ireland is somewhat unknown and underappreciated.
To complicate matters, the past two years have necessitated abundant running water for hand washing as the world’s attention has shifted from one public health crisis (climate change) to another (COVID-19).
Changing habits
Coming out of some of the hottest days on record during the summer of 2022, the importance of our water resource and infrastructure has never been more apparent. It is not an infinite resource, however, and we must find ways to manage and mitigate against wasting it.
There is great scope for climate change mitigation in how we use water at home. It can be as simple as filling the kettle with one cup of water when only making one cup of tea, or washing our car with a bucket and sponge instead of a hose.
It might surprise us to know how little comfort we can forgo to make a real difference.
Stephen Prendiville is Head of Sustainability at EY