We take a look at five amazing water and ocean solutions being featured at this year's ChangeNOW summit
Our world is facing a growing water crisis. It’s estimated that four billion people across the globe experience severe water scarcity for at least one month every year – and as climate change worsens, freshwater supply is becoming increasingly unpredictable. In fact, by 2030, 700 million people may be displaced due to severe water insecurity, and by 2040, it’s believed that one in every four children will be living in extremely water-stressed regions.
World Water Day
This Saturday, 22nd March, is World Water Day. First observed by the United Nations in 1993, the occasion was established to raise awareness of the importance of freshwater and help accelerate progress towards achieving Sustainable Development Goal 6: clean water and sanitation for all by 2030.
For this year, the theme of World Water Day is ‘Glacier Preservation’. With global warming causing glaciers to melt faster than ever, the world’s water cycle is becoming increasingly unpredictable, with changing meltwater flows triggering devastating floods and landslides, putting countless communities across the globe at risk. At the same time that climate change is triggering more widespread flooding, it’s also causing record-high temperatures, leading to heatwaves and drought.
Water solutions at ChangeNOW 2025
Because this issue of water management is so pressing, ‘Ocean & Water’ is one of the key themes for this year’s ChangeNOW summit – the largest event of solutions for the planet, which will be taking place at Paris’ Grand Palais on 24-26 April 2025. At the event, solutionists and changemakers from around the world will convene to share some of their transformative ideas and innovations to tackle the globe’s biggest problems – including water scarcity and ocean conservation.
To give you a taste of what’s to come at ChangeNOW – and mark World Water Day – we’ve compiled our top five ‘Ocean & Water’ solutions that will be exhibiting at the event next month. Take a look.
Top 5 sustainable water innovations
Can a ‘wetland in a box’ tackle water scarcity?
Water scarcity is a growing threat around the globe, but startup Syrinx wants to help. The Australian company has created the EnPhytoBox, a ‘wetland-in-a-box’ that enables water to be recycled and cleaned at the local scale. Inspired by the natural water filtration process that occurs in wetlands, the EnPhytoBox contains a vertical sequence of plants, biosorbents, and microbes that collectively treat and clean wastewater without generating waste. Read more
WSense
Pioneering the ‘internet of underwater things’
Our oceans are vast, which makes them notoriously difficult to monitor. Sapienza University spinoff WSense hopes to change that, with a subsea Wi-Fi technology that enables real-time, secure, and cost-effective wireless communications underwater. WSense describes its system as an “Internet of Underwater Things”, consisting of shallow and deepwater hardware, including sensors and robotics, as well as software. Together, the system enables real-time monitoring of things like water quality, noise pollution, and more. Read more
© New Africa / Adobe Stock
An electricity-free device disinfects water
Around 10 per cent of the global population doesn’t have easy access to clean water, leading millions to either go without or rely on contaminated sources. To boost clean water accessibility, Sensiblue created an innovative disinfection solution that doesn’t require electricity – relying on salt electrolysis instead. The device can be installed directly in home water lines and automatically disinfects tap water, removing viruses and bacteria. Read more
Minesto
Underwater kites harness tidal energy
Although not yet widely used, tidal energy has a huge potential for future electricity generation. Unlike wind and solar energy, tidal streams and ocean currents are predictable and continuous. Startup Minesto has developed a ‘kite’ with a turbine that ‘flies’ underwater to generate electricity from these predictable tidal streams and ocean currents. The device is attached to a tether and an onboard control system autonomously steers the kite in a figure-of-eight, pulling the turbine at a water flow several times higher than the actual stream speed to generate more power. Read more
© bluedesign / Adobe Stock
Using yeast to clean wastewater
Heavy metal contamination is a pressing issue, with approximately 40 per cent of the planet’s lakes and rivers contaminated with pollutants like lead and arsenic. Addressing this challenge, Aquasaic developed a biological alternative that uses genetically engineered yeast to remove heavy metals from contaminated water sources, taking advantage of the natural metal-binding properties of yeast. The enhanced yeast cells act as microscopic filters, capturing heavy metal ions like lead, arsenic, and mercury. Read more