By Rachael Steller, Resilient Infrastructure Lead, Climate Change Committee (CCC)
I’m delighted to be speaking at Waterscan’s Water Matters event next month, an important moment for tackling some of the UK’s most urgent and overlooked water challenges. As Resilient Infrastructure Lead at the Climate Change Committee, I help assess how well the UK is adapting to climate risks, and also where we’re falling short.
Water is one of those issues that still suffers from widespread misunderstanding. Despite the UK’s reputation for rainfall, we face real and growing risks to water security, from drought and overuse to ageing infrastructure and environmental decline.
At Water Matters, I’ll be sharing key findings from our work, including where the biggest vulnerabilities lie, what we’re learning, and what must change to build genuine resilience.
I believe that recognising the opportunities is just as important as identifying the risks, and I’ll be talking about what is already being done across the UK to build resilience through smart infrastructure, local innovation, and emerging collaborations. I’ll also highlight a few powerful pilot projects that are showing real promise but haven’t yet been scaled. Too often, we see brilliant work happening in isolation.
If we’re serious about resilience, we need to start learning from each other more quickly, sharing what works, and rolling it out at scale.
This is why I’m genuinely excited to be part of the event. It brings together people from across sectors and specialisms, people who might not usually sit in the same room, to compare notes, challenge assumptions, and explore how we can work together to drive change.
Because water doesn’t work in silos. Rivers flow into lakes. Groundwater supports ecosystems. Surface water affects supply. And yet, as a sector, we often treat water in disconnected parts, flooding over here, drought over there, wastewater in another corner. We need a more holistic, systemic view. One that recognises how interdependent our infrastructure, our environment, and our communities really are.
And, critically, we mustn’t forget the equity dimension. Water is essential not just for drinking, but for food, for health, for nature, for our economy.
Ensuring fair and sustainable access to water is a justice issue as much as it is a technical or environmental one. Future generations, and the ecosystems we rely on, deserve careful stewardship now.
By sharing knowledge, amplifying what’s working, and being honest about what’s not, we can begin to shift from reactive fixes to a truly resilient water future.
Water Matters 2025 – it’s time to connect the drops
Water challenges don’t exist in isolation—and neither should the solutions. At Water Matters: Connecting the Drops, Rachael Steller (Climate Change Committee) and other experts will tackle the UK’s pressing water risks, from droughts to infrastructure gaps, while spotlighting the innovations and collaborations that can build a resilient future.
Registration closes Monday, 9th June. Don’t miss this critical opportunity to be part of the change.
