Are you a global citizen? Usher and Gwen Stefani hope so.
The music icons performed at Saturday’s 2015 Global Citizen Earth Day concert in Washington, D.C., an annual event that seeks to inspire citizens to take action to protect our planet and its people.
Organized by Global Citizen, and part of Earth Day Network events in anticipation of the 45th Earth Day on April 22, the concert and rally unite movements working to address two of this generation’s greatest challenges: ending extreme poverty by 2030 and tackling climate change.
What’s key to both of these global issues? WASH – that’s water, sanitation and hygiene.
The impact of WASH access on global poverty makes sense – people who have clean water and practice good hygiene are healthier; more students can go to school when there is a clean, safe toilet. And healthier, more educated populations are more equipped to escape endemic poverty.
At a broader scale, water access and climate change are inextricably linked. UN Water notes: “Water is the primary medium through which climate change influences Earth’s ecosystem and thus the livelihood and well-being of societies.”
With higher temperatures and changes in extreme weather come more unreliable rainfall and differences in snowmelt, river flows and groundwater. This also impacts water quality. The poor, who are the most vulnerable, are likely to be disproportionately affected.
At Pure Water, we are working to be global citizens by partnering with communities to provide safe, life saving WASH options. This Earth Day, how will you be a global citizen?
