The Climate Equation: Mitigation Meets Innovation 

Adaptation and mitigation are not seen as separate tracks for the global water sector. Desalination and advanced water reuse are tools for adapting to climate stress and opportunities for bold mitigation. As the World Bank and other institutions emphasize, energy and water systems are interdependent. Innovation in energy, including hydrogen, renewables, and advanced decarbonization pathways, can transform the carbon footprint of water services. 

The Evolving Carbon Footprint of Water Supply 

• As of 2024, global installed desalination capacity stands at around 91.5 million cubic meters per day, with contracted projects bringing the total committed capacity to about 105 million cubic meters per day. 

• Regional Growth: In the Mediterranean, desalinated water production expanded from less than 1 million cubic meters per day in 2013 to more than 5 million cubic meters per day by 2023, a 447 percent increase. 

• National Example: Algeria is on track to reach 3.7 million cubic meters per day by the end of 2024, covering more than 40 percent of national water demand, with plans to expand to 5.6 million cubic meters per day by 2030. 

Desalination remains energy intensive, consuming 3 to 4 kilowatt-hours per cubic meter in most seawater reverse osmosis systems. While efficiency improvements are advancing, fossil-fueled power systems still leave desalination with a large carbon footprint. 

The Innovation Horizon: Pathways to Low-Carbon Water 

1. Renewable-Powered Desalination 

1. In the United Arab Emirates, the Hassyan facility in Dubai, scheduled to open in 2026, will be the world’s largest solar-powered reverse osmosis desalination plant. It will produce more than 800,000 cubic meters per day at one of the lowest energy intensities ever achieved. 

2. Research is also advancing hybrid approaches such as wind-powered desalination and solar-thermal systems that can push operations closer to carbon neutrality. 

2. Efficiency Breakthroughs and Energy Recovery 

1. Next-generation membranes and high-performance energy recovery devices are driving electricity consumption below 3 kilowatt-hours per cubic meter in best-in-class plants. Continued progress in these areas represents one of the fastest and most cost-effective routes to decarbonization. 

3. Circular Resource Recovery 

1. Brine and wastewater streams are increasingly being seen as resource streams. Pilot projects are recovering valuable minerals such as lithium and magnesium, while water reuse facilities are capturing energy and nutrients. These approaches reduce waste, lower environmental risks, and create new revenue opportunities. 

4. Integrated Water–Energy–Hydrogen Planning 

1. The Aqaba–Amman project in Jordan, expected to begin construction in 2025, will deliver more than 850,000 cubic meters per day of desalinated water, powered in part by a solar capacity of more than 300 megawatts. 

2. In parallel, the growth of green hydrogen markets is opening opportunities for desalination and reuse facilities to serve as anchors for integrated water-energy-hydrogen ecosystems. Green hydrogen is emerging as a cornerstone of the energy transition, offering a pathway to decarbonize hard-to-abate sectors while enabling greater integration of solar, wind, and geothermal power. Yet hydrogen depends on sustainable water supply. Desalination and reuse are critical to providing the feedwater for scalable hydrogen production, particularly in arid regions. By linking hydrogen strategies with circular water systems, countries can simultaneously advance energy security, water resilience, and climate mitigation. This connection will also be highlighted at the Reykjavík Summit during the session “Energy Transition: Hydrogen and Renewables – the Next Frontier?”, where global leaders will explore how water and hydrogen innovation can be aligned to accelerate decarbonization.
   

Equity and Innovation 

Deploying carbon-stable desalination in developing regions remains a challenge. Capital costs are higher, and the burden often falls hardest on countries facing the greatest climate and water stress. Global partnerships, concessional finance, and technology transfer are essential to ensure that clean water innovation is not the privilege of wealthier nations. 

Technologies proven in the Gulf, Europe, and Australia must be adapted for small island states, Africa, and South Asia. Shared innovation is the foundation of equitable resilience. 

Why This Matters for Reykjavík 

The Reykjavík Summit will be one of the first global platforms to position desalination and reuse as both adaptation measures and engines of mitigation. It will showcase: 

• How desalination and reuse can be integrated into national net-zero strategies 

• Where renewable-powered plants and advanced recovery systems are already proving successful 

• What governance and financing frameworks are needed to close equity gaps 

Conclusion 

Water security and climate stability must be pursued together. Adaptation without mitigation locks in future risk. Mitigation without adaptation leaves communities vulnerable today. Desalination and reuse sit at this intersection. Powered by renewables, designed for efficiency, and integrated with circular resource recovery, they can deliver both resilience and decarbonization. 

This is the opportunity before us: to build water systems that secure today without imperiling tomorrow. Reykjavík is the moment to turn that opportunity into action. 

References (APA 7th) 

• Fortune Business Insights. (2023). Desalination Technologies Market: Global Installed Capacity. 

• Kh Aqua Energy Expo. (2023). Global Installed Desalination Capacity and Commitments. 

• Plan Bleu. (2024). Mediterranean Desalination Growth Trends. 

• Reuters. (2024, May 15). Algeria to Produce 3.7 Million Cubic Meters of Desalinated Water per Day by End of 2024. 

• Wall Street Journal. (2024, May 14). Hassyan Solar-Powered Desalination Plant in the UAE. 

• ScienceDirect. (2024). Wind-Powered Desalination Networks. 

• MDPI. (2024). Renewable Energy Powered Seawater Desalination for Zero Waste. 

• World Bank. (2025). Governance and Economics of Desalination and Reuse. 

• Jordan Ministry of Water and Irrigation. (2025). Aqaba–Amman Water Desalination and Conveyance Project.