The climate crisis is a water crisis. Germany is one of the countries which lose the most water globally. In many places, groundwater levels are falling dramatically and widespread droughts are becoming more frequent. There is an increasing competition on water between the need for public drinking water, industry and agriculture. Water is becoming increasingly scarce. Water consumption by private households has already been restricted in some regions and, in addition, devastating rainfalls lead to local flooding and destruction. These consequences threaten people and our natural livelihoods.
Droughts and floods make the climate crisis tangible: We believe that the distributive conflicts surrounding the increasingly scarce resource of water should be and belong on the agenda of the climate movement. Despite political progress such as the adoption of the National Water Strategy or the Climate Adaptation Act, the implementation of local adaptation measures lags far behind the urgently necessary steps. At the same time, climate protection measures are steadily being slowed down. The successful communication and implementation of climate protection and adaptation measures such as the “Water Action Program” require broad social understanding and civil society support.
In many places in Germany, (volunteering) activists will face the burden of the water crisis and how to overcome, as ecologists, as volunteer firefighters or in many different roles. However, there is little expertise in the climate movement and among citizens regarding the challenges and possible solutions of the water crisis. We want to activate, connect and empower citizens and civic groups to work effectively and locally for water justice
Whether it’s the privatization of wells, industrial water grabbing or controversial infrastructure projects such as new pipelines – our water needs a social movement. At our conference “Water. Climate. Justice.” from March 21-23, 2025 in Cologne, we want to develop strategies and narratives together, form alliances, formulate demands and take action.