The melting iceberg represents a symbol of the urgent need for action within the climate field. Also, the iceberg illustrates the main theme of the Grontmij exhibition on Bright Green: Water.

Rising of water levels, increased precipitation, flooding and the lack of clean drinking water all constitute serious issues arisen as a consequence of the climate changes. In the years to come, these problems will become increasingly urgent. This is why we at Grontmij have decided to put sustainable solutions within water and energy on the agenda.

At Saturday's official opening of the stand, the iceberg was unveiled in the presence of the Ambassador of the Netherlands to Denmark, Mr Niek van Zutphen, and executives from 50 companies.

Bold solutions
Under the heading ”Oceans of bold solutions for a blue planet”, the Grontmij stand presented 48 innovative and challenging bids for solutions to the world's climate challenges.

For instance, the company's exhibition featured concrete examples of how, in the metropolitan regions of Dhaka in Bangladesh, they are heading a project for securing clean drinking water for the inhabitants.

How, in the Netherlands, they participate in protecting the coasts against future flooding while, at the same time, conserving the coastal-area nature and village life.

How, in Stockholm's new sustainable quarter, Hammerby Sjöstad, they have created a closed-loop for energy, waste and water, where everything is recycled. Along with several other examples of how, all over the world, the company has contributed with concrete solutions to serious climate challenges.


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Facts: Drinking water and sanitary conditions

• 470 million people live in regions with severely depleted water supplies.
• 1.1 billion people are without access to clean drinking water.
• 2.6 billion people (40% of the world's population) are without access to proper sanitary conditions.

Facts: Water and health

• Today, 88% of all disease can be ascribed to polluted drinking water, to poor sanitary conditions or to poor hygiene.
• Poor sanitary conditions constitute the largest infection source in the world.
• It is estimated that, each year, 3.75 million people die from waterborne disease.
• Waterborne disease is the world's most frequent source to infant death.
• Waterborne disease kills one child every 15th second.

 
Facts: Water and infrastructure

• To reach the UN's 2015 goals (the Millennium Development Goals), approximately 961 million urban dwellers will need improved access to water – and 1 billion urban dwellers will need improved sanitary conditions within the next five years.
• 15-35% of the world's irrigation channels for crop watering are considered unsustainable.
• 10% of the world's irrigated areas are supersaturated with water due to poor drainage and unsatisfactory irrigation mechanisms.

 
Facts: Europe's water challenges

• In Europe, 40 million people are without access to clean drinking water.
• In Europe, 85 million people are without access to basic sanitary conditions.
• 60% of Europe's major cities (above 100,000 inhabitants) consume ground water at a faster rate than the reservoirs can fill up again.
• Only 5 out of 55 European rivers are estimated to be unaffected by the region's huge water consumption. 

 
Facts: Water and ice
New projections from the independent research institute, Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research, now suggest that by the year 2,100, global sea levels may rise by as much as 1.4 metres.
 
Distribution of the ice-covered areas around the globe:

• Greenland: 12% - if the ice sheet melts, water levels will rise with 8 metres
• Antarctica: 87% - if the ice sheet melts, water levels will rise with 57 metres
• Glaciers and other ice-covered areas: 1% - if the ice sheet melts, water levels will rise with 0.7 metres

Moreover, snow and ice from glaciers and ice-covered areas constitute important water resources for many people all over the world. When they melt and disappear, this will have devastating consequences for those populations who, for generations, have been basing their livelihood and the cultivation of their land on melt water from snow and ice.

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For the press: the below pictures are free to use and downloadable from our Image Gallery.