Water Futures Mobilizing Multi Stakeholder Action for Resilience 2025

Collaborative policy-innovation nexus FIGURE 11 Policy and regulationsInnovative water solutions Innovation-centred approach to policyScience-based Ecosystem approachCollaboration Innovation Where to start Multi-stakeholder collaboration Develop policy frameworks that put innovation at the centre of water resilience objectives. For the water sector to thrive and adapt to future challenges, policy-makers need to actively encourage and support innovation by providing clarity on policy objectives and coordination. This means deploying policy instruments that permit experimentation and innovation. Co-create a robust science-based body of evidence and advice to guide the development, piloting and widespread adoption of innovative water solutions. This requires a policy environment that not only enables the deployment of existing and tested solutions, but also incentivizes the testing, piloting and acceleration of innovative technologies. Tested solutions can include electro-ceramic desalination technology or nanobubble technology to optimize water usage, improve crop health and support environmental rehabilitation, among other things. Innovations can include: –Rainwater and stormwater harvesting (e.g. sustainable groundwater recharge systems that capture and store rainwater). –Modular, nature-based technologies that enable sites or facilities to be water- and climate-efficient. –Membrane crystallization or reverse electrodialysis, for improved brine management. –Technologies harnessing energy generated from wastewater treatment (e.g. thermal hydrolysis or microbial fuel cells). –Critically, the perspectives and needs of water users in agriculture, industrial facilities and urban areas should be engaged in this process. For example, the US’s National Blue Ribbon Commission for Onsite Non-potable Water Systems is a collaboration guided by science-based policy recommendations and risk-based science and research, to advance the onsite reuse of wastewater, stormwater and rainwater.81 Build an ecosystem conducive to innovation. Policy-makers, in collaboration with the private sector, could create frameworks that remove barriers to technological advancement and provide incentives for the development and adoption of new solutions. This includes providing financial and regulatory support at all stages, from development to deployment, through dedicated incentives and public funding. Water Futures: Mobilizing Multi-Stakeholder Action for Resilience 29