Message on World Water Day

世界水日致辞

22 March 2020

2020年3月22日

The world's water resources are under unprecedented threat. Today, some 2.2 billion people lack safe drinking water and 4.2 billion people live without access to adequate sanitation. Unless we act with urgency, the impacts of climate change are projected to exacerbate these figures. By 2050, between 3.5 and 4.4 billion people will live with limited access to water, with more than 1 billion of them living in cities.

世界水资源正面临前所未有的威胁。世界人口中，约有22亿安全饮用水不足，42亿卫生设施欠缺。根据预测，气候变化影响将使这两个数字迅速攀升——到2050年，在缺水环境中生活的人口将达到35亿至44亿，其中城市人口超过10亿。因此，我们必须采取紧急行动。

This year's World Water Day focuses on water and climate change. With 2020 a make-or-break year for climate action, this focus is timely. Water is the primary medium through which we perceive the effects of climate disruption, from extreme weather events, such as droughts and floods, to glacial melting, saltwater intrusion and sea level rise.

今年的世界水日关注水与气候变化。2020年是气候行动成败的关键之年，这种关注非常及时。水是我们认识干旱洪水等极端天气事件、冰川融化、盐水入侵、海平面上升等气候变化影响的主要媒介。

Global heating and unsustainable use will create unprecedented competition for water resources, leading to the displacement of millions of people. This will negatively affect health and productivity and act as a threat multiplier for instability and conflict. The solution is clear. We must urgently scale up investments in healthy watersheds and water infrastructure, with dramatic improvements in the efficiency of water use. We must anticipate and respond to climate risks at every level of water management. We need to urgently step up efforts to strengthen resilience and adaptation for people affected by climate disruption. And, above all, we must use this year and COP26 in Glasgow to bend the emissions curve and create a secure foundation for water sustainability.

全球变暖、不可持续的使用将对水资源造成前所未有的竞争，可能使千百万民众流离失所。这将对健康和生产力产生不利影响，并大大加剧不稳定和冲突的威胁。解决办法是显而易见的。我们必须紧急行动起来，加大对净水流域和水基础设施的投资，大幅提高用水效率。我们必须在水管理的各个方面预测和应对气候风险。我们要加大努力，加强受气候变化影响民众的复原力和适应力。我们必须利用今年的机会以及格拉斯哥第二十六届缔约方大会来改变排放曲线，为水资源的可持续性打下坚实基础。这一点最为重要。

On World Water Day, everyone has a role to play. I call on all stakeholders to increase climate action and invest in robust adaptation measures for water sustainability. By limiting global heating to 1.5 degrees Celsius, the world will be in a much better position to manage and solve the water crisis that we all face.

我们纪念世界水日，就是要履行我们作为个人的责任。我呼吁所有利益攸关方增加气候行动，投资有力的水可持续性适应措施。我们一定要把全球变暖限制在1.5摄氏度以内，使全世界能够更好地管理和解决各国面临的水危机。