Dr Isha Savani and Emma Mazzotta of (National Institute of Oceanography and Applied Geophysics – OGS) represented the Project RESources in Coastal groundwater Under hydroclimatic Extremes (RESCUE), funded by Water 4 All and co-funded by the European Union, at this year’s AIDA World Water Law Congress.
Held in Oslo, Norway, from 24–26 June, the event brought together researchers, practitioners and policymakers, with the Congress focusing on Water Law and Governance in Times of Climate Change and Biodiversity Loss, in order to provide an international forum to discuss emerging legal and governance challenges surrounding freshwater resources.
Dr Isha Savani presented the research “Quantifying Water Sustainability by Integrating the Water-Energy-Food-Ecosystem (WEFE) Nexus: Implications for the EU Taxonomy.” The presentation introduced a quantitative model for assessing water sustainability within the framework of the EU Taxonomy Regulation and demonstrated how scientific modelling can support legal and regulatory frameworks for ecosystem protection while balancing socio-economic considerations.
The Congress also provided an opportunity to strengthen links with the OFF-SOURCE COST Action community. During the event, Dr Angeles Jimenez Garcia-Carriazo (University of Cadiz) presented the OFF-SOURCE team’s work on the legal challenges surrounding Offshore Freshened Groundwater (OFG), and discussed how the existing Law of the Sea and international freshwater law frameworks can contribute to its governance. The presentation highlighted the need for greater legal clarity as interest in OFG continues to grow.
Below: Dr Angeles Jimenez Garcia-Carriazo and Emma Mazzotta
Participation in the AIDA World Water Law Congress reflects RESCUE’s commitment to connecting cutting-edge scientific research with legal and policy development to advance sustainable offshore groundwater governance.
The three year-long RESCUE Project, which began in March 2024 and ends in 2027, aims to build knowledge on offshore and deep onshore low salinity aquifers in European coastal areas, to evaluate novel freshwater resources, and help secure a steady supply of water to both population and industry, in times of hydroclimatic extremes.
Led by the University of Trieste and with a consortium that includes OGS, Ruden AS, University of Derby (UoD) and University of Malta (UM), RESCUE’s objective is to help establish the foundations for the evaluation of new resources for local and regional policy makers, while the global applicability of the outputs will allow upscaling to Europe-wide or other large areas worldwide, where water is needed.
