Following our participation in Sweat4Soap and the World Wetlands Run over the past two years, #TeamGoyder will be celebrating World Water Day on 22 March 2023 by taking part in #WorldWaterRun week. And yes, we may be a little crazy, but what better way to celebrate the value of water than getting out and about for some exercise!

The theme for World Water Day this year is ‘Accelerating Change’. The COVID pandemic has made people all around the world think differently about our interactions with each other, with nature and the importance of water to maintain health and hygiene. Increasing population and population densities, climate change, more intensive agriculture, and needs of industry will all impact on how we use and value water. The frequency and duration of extreme climate events are expected to increase and these will also create challenges around water availability, water security and water quality.

According to the United Nations, a quarter of the global population (that’s 2 billion people) can only access unsafe water sources and half of all the humans on the planet (3.6 billion of us) live without safe sanitation.

The UN will be holding their first Water Conference in 50 years from 22 to 24 March 2023 in New York where a Water Action Agenda will be introduced. The Agenda will outline how everyone can take action to change the way they use or consume water and accelerate the change to improved sustainability and inclusivity for all.

The Goyder Institute is passionate about making sure there is enough good quality, clean water for communities, industry and the environment. Our strategic plan focuses on developing and maintaining a large, diverse and impactful research portfolio across five key areas: Water for cities and people; Water for the environment; Water for agriculture; Water for mining; and Climate resilience. By participating in events such as the World Water Run, we aim to help raise awareness of global water issues which are so closely aligned to the function of our Institute. 

You can read more about World Water Day, join us for the World Water Day run (and sign up to be part of the Goyder Institute for Water Research team), or simply follow our team’s progress on Twitter while you consider the simple, everyday actions you can take to save water and help create a more sustainable and equitable water future.