AlterCOP 30 Brisbane - Thoughts from Day 2

What a great event in Brisbane for AlterCOP on Tuesday (18th Nov) night. I wasn't able to attend the daytime sessions but the evening session on 'Water in a Warming World: Too Much, Too little, Too Dirty' was very informative. In my experience working in the sector, and one of the main messages from the highly experienced panel, was that the topic of water doesn't receive nearly as much attention, funding, or political focus as it should. My key takeaways and thoughts following the event:

• Local engagement is key. Effective water management, particularly in rural or remote regions, and collaboration with all stakeholders, not just after a major flooding or drought event but long before, are key for success. The evidence is clear that communities come together during large scale extreme weather events but we need to be better at taking a proactive approach to disaster management. The topic of effective water resource management, using only data or modelling and not local knowledge, was also highlighted as a factor and anyone who has moved from a field based role to an office based role will know exactly what this means.

• Modelling. Flood-related infrastructure investment needs to consider longer term projections for climate change impacts. Models are only as useful as the data they're fed and every year, globally, we're seeing record breaking levels of rainfall (or lack thereof) and flooding events. By the time many large scale projects reach construction stage some of the modelling utilised in their design may already be very out of date. The HS2 rail project in the UK for example, was approved in 2012 but construction is only expected to complete between 2029 - 2033. Anyone who has worked in sustainability, particularly in Europe, understands how much can change in a few years, especially in relation to sustainability reporting requirements or climate risk modelling.

• Regulatory overlaps. Current water legislation focuses primarily on water supply infrastructure, public health and licensing but does not necessarily promote water efficiency or security. There are some policies to promote water savings but there is no real incentive, or regulatory requirements for companies to really invest in water recycling and reuse technology. Going into my second ‘stormy season’ in Brisbane, the amount of rainfall that can fall within an hour, that’s mostly just turning into contaminated runoff, is astounding. There must be a better solution.

It might be an unpopular opinion, and one that I've brought with me from the UK, but I think water is not expensive enough. I won’t go into the topic of water privatisation, as that’s a whole separate issue, but investment in water infrastructure is not cheap and should be a major consideration for senior decision makers. The Insurance Council of Australia found that flooding was one of the most expensive disasters in Australia with Cyclone Alfred (2025) alone leading to $AU1.4B in insurance claims with more than 75% of these claims being personal claims (as opposed to Commercial). Invest now, save later.

On a more light-hearted note, the second session of the evening was 'From the Ground UP: Community-Led Change for a Sustainable Brisbane'. This involved 10 short 'pitches' from organisations that are doing great work in sustainability and mobility. It was incredible to see their passion and positivity. A great reminder that, in between all the negative headlines, there is a lot to be excited about!

Last, but definitely not least. Water is not only a valuable resource, it is a human right, lets treat it as such.