Presidential Blog: Introducing our new presidents

CIWEM are delighted to welcome Hannah Burgess and Peter Rook as our new president and junior president respectively for 2024/2025.

Their chosen theme this year will be ‘scaling up resilience towards and adapting at pace to climate change’, which engages with vital concepts across the diverse sectors in which our members work, including the water industry, flood risk management and environmental management. CIWEM’s president has an ambassadorial role representing all CIWEM members, with the junior president specifically advocating for early career professionals. They are supported by the immediate past and future presidents, providing continuity.

The Environment Editor Jo Caird spoke to Hannah and Peter on their hopes and ambitions for their term and discusses their chosen theme.

What do we mean by 'resilience'?

Many of us frequently encounter the term ‘resilience’ in our professional lives, but what does it actually mean? At its most basic level, ‘resilience’ is the ability of a system to absorb and recover from a shock, such as the challenges posed by the climate and ecological emergency. This is increasingly critical as the year from 2023 to 2024 marked the first time that global temperatures consistently exceeded the 1.5°C warming limit, according to the EU's Copernicus Climate Change Service. Additionally, the fourth State of Nature Report presents bleak statistics, noting that since 1970, UK species have declined by 19 per cent on average.

Water voles are endangered in the UK

Adapting to meet these challenges as a society is becoming ever more urgent and one of the most important ways we can do this is through placemaking. With the housing crisis in the UK, development pressures have continued to increase and whilst there is a clear need for development, this must be achieved in a way that does not adversely impact the environment. The announcement of reforms to the planning system is welcome, as appropriate development is an opportunity to design sustainable places that can enhance the environment, deliver economic growth and improve our quality of life.

In our journey to becoming more resilient, we should not forget the central role that communities play in taking ownership and collective responsibility. BeFloodReady, CIWEM’s community of practice for property flood resilience exemplifies this approach through equipping communities with essential knowledge and tools to assess risks, implement practical solutions and better plan for and respond to flooding. This initiative empowers communities to take proactive measures, showcasing the power of collective action in enhancing resilience.

What are the key challenges we face at home and abroad?

The demand on increasingly stressed water resources is a global challenge exacerbated by the climate crisis, with longer and more extreme droughts disproportionately impacting the most vulnerable communities. For example, in Somalia, 1.2 million people were displaced in 2022 due to drought alone. Whilst this paints a sobering picture, as professionals there are also success stories we can learn from, such as the community work that organisations such as Frank Water are doing with communities in India, Nepal and Kenya.