The Next Wave – young leaders, ideas & eco-anxiety

The Next Wave – young leaders, ideas & eco-anxiety – Recent global hurricanes were devastating and with continuing global heating – we’re at 1.62°C of warming above pre-industrial levels for the last 12 months to September 2024 – the next wave will be even worse, along with worsening floods, droughts and other climate impacts.

But rather than go down an eco-anxiety spiral, this month we talk to the next wave of youth water leaders – the founder of the South Asia Young Women in Water platform and a member of the World Youth Parliament for Water. Plus, get on top of cutting-edge youth-led water solutions and hear from CWR’s youngest member on her water journey.

It was experiencing first-hand the impacts of water scarcity in her early years that ultimately led Meghna Chakkraborty to create the platform South Asia Young Women in Water – where young women can lead conversations, solutions & actions. Hear more about the platform, her “no sugarcoated” advice for young individuals thinking about joining the water space and more in our interview with Chakkraborty.

Not done there, Chakkraborty has plans for another platform, this time to help South Asian women advance into leadership roles in water governance and climate-related fields. It’s not surprising then that earlier this year, Chakkraborty was announced as one of the Top 50 Young Water Sustainability Leaders for World Water Week 2024.

Santiago Gómez is another young water professional in this next wave. His journey in water really began after a research project during which he realised that Colombia’s water sector was miles away from being able to implement the solutions he developed. Instead of giving up, he decided to stay in Colombia and work to make things better. He shares his experiences, the huge disconnect between academia and more in our interview with him.

Gómez has another water ‘hat’, as a member of the World Youth Parliament for Water. With this in mind, we asked him some burning questions: what are young water professionals now focused on? what changes are they trying to make? and how to stay hopeful amid the accelerating climate? Be sure to check out what he said.

Meanwhile, we rounded up some examples of cutting-edge youth-led water ideas and solutions, which are a large part of the surge of innovation in the water sector. Imagine being able to pull water out of thin air with nothing but just a small gadget and some sunshine or imagine growing crops with just mist? How about an AI system that can warn you about flood warnings a week in advance?

These innovations offer hope but we need to remember that youth can’t and shouldn’t have to do it on their own. Support from industry, veterans and governments is crucial. Supporting and scaling up these solutions is not just smart – it’s essential for our collective hope and survival.

Hope can be a loaded word, especially when we talk about the climate crisis. As CWR’s youngest team member shares, everyday in the news is some sort of climate disaster, it’s hard not to let eco-anxiety take over. But like other young water professionals, CWR’s Lam won’t let that or the shock of learning that sea level rise is an existential threat for Hong Kong (her home) stop her.

So how do we keep fighting in the climate fight? How do youth find hope? CWR’s Lam shares her views on these and more as she reflects on her 3-year journey at CWR. Plus, check out why she has no regrets choosing this less conventional career path and how she learned to get comfortable with uncomfortable conversations.

Given this month is about youth, we wanted the last words to be from the youth and Chakkraborty wraps it up perfectly, “This is not about profit or even philanthropy; it’s about long-term survival. The youth brings energy, urgency, and commitment to the table, and I urge potential employers and investors to support their journey because the work being done today will lay the foundation for a more sustainable and equitable tomorrow.”