The societal challenges for the implementation of a water circular economy were discussed at the conference of the 15th European Sociological Association (ESA), held online from the 31st of August to the 3rd of September 2021. The team from the Institute of Social Sciences, University of Lisbon (leader of WP5 Society, Governance, Policy of the B-WaterSmart project) presented an overview of the debates and preliminary results of B-WaterSmart from the first year of the project implementation.

Updated with the latest reports released by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and the World Bank in August 2021, Carla Gomes talked about the critical challenges for water management and climate adaptation across Europe, in face of warming temperatures, more intense droughts, and worsening water scarcity. She also introduced the objectives, approach, and expected results of B-WaterSmart in the co-production and replication of water-smart solutions, such as wastewater reuse, in the six Living Labs of the project and beyond.

This communication was included in the thematic session “Participation, Acceptance and Environmental Governance” of the ESA Research Network 12 – Environment and Society. More information about the annual conference can be found here.