Black & Veatch Urges Public Awareness of Water, Climate Change Issues
Dan McCarthy, president and CEO of Black & Veatch's global water business, cited the need to increase public awareness of three key challenges surrounding the UK water industry's response to climate change, including issues related to water scarcity, flooding, and greenhouse gas emissions.
In a column issued recently, McCarthy appealed to water industry leaders to work together with the public and all other relevant stakeholders to develop robust legislation, strategies, technologies, and infrastructure for dealing with these climate change challenges. The column "Climate Change and the UK Water Industry: Stepping up to the Challenge" is available at http://www.bv.com/downloads/Resources/Reports/WaterClimateChange UK200806.pdf.
In the column, McCarthy points out that although the UK water industry emits less than one percent of the nation's greenhouses gases, water companies are on the front line in terms of vulnerability to climate change because of the combination of flood and drought.
"To serve the public best, the water industry's response to climate change will need to be flexible, imaginative and, above all, collaborative," McCarthy said.