Can ecosystems protect populations? New evidence published in Nature Sustainability

As the planet continues to warm, the twin challenges of diminishing water supply and growing energy demand will intensify. But water and energy are inextricably linked. For instance, nearly a fifth of California’s energy goes toward water-related activities, while more than a tenth of the state’s electricity comes from hydropower. As society tries to adapt to one challenge, it needs to ensure it doesn’t worsen the other.

From raging fires to life-threatening floods, it’s impossible to ignore the effect climate change is having on our planet. We can’t push it aside and say we’ll solve it in the future. Together, we need to act now by thinking and behaving as sustainably as possible.  At Anthony Collins Solicitors (ACS), many of our clients own huge parts of the UK infrastructure, including local authorities, housing associations and schools. We’re here to advise them on everything they can do to help avert the climate emergency.  Addressing today’s challenges – Even if an organisation or local authority recognises today’s challenges, that doesn’t mean the policies they write necessarily filter down through the organisation and become part of daily life. That’s where we come in. We bring our experience of emerging good practice to deliver on the sustainability agenda.

This article is one in a series in which contributing authors discuss how the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are linked to everyday clinical issues; national public health emergencies; and other nursing issues, such as leadership, shared governance, and advocacy.