Dry period at the Klöntalersee: dryness and regional water scarcity were a recurring hot topic in the media in summer 2018. (Photo: Pixabay)
Hardly a day went by in the summer of 2018 without a report on the continuing water scarcity at the time in Switzerland. Again and again, newspapers, radio and television were coming up with questions like: "How much water do nature, agriculture and people need?", "How can we find ways to save water?" and "Which regions have the least water reserves?" On the other hand, Swiss municipal governments, cantons, engineering firms, NGOs and public sector agencies appear to be less concerned with the relationship between water scarcity and water-saving measures. This has been brought to light by a survey conducted by environmental social scientist Mario Angst, in which over 350 representatives from such organisations active in the water sector took part. Mario Angst, who completed his PhD under Eawag group leader Manuel Fischer, took a look at which water-related topics were reported together in the media. At the same time, he also looked at whether these intersections were reflected in the activities of those working in the Swiss water sector. It is important that the relationships between topics, and not individual topics themselves are investigated. "The greatest social challenges of our time are actually ones in which numerous problems are intertwined, such as climate change or loss of biodiversity", says Manuel Fischer.
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