'Water is like electricity: we want continuous access to it, but that's not how the cycle works,' says this top global expert

Scarcity of drinking water is a global challenge that climate change will only make more acute. Yet top international expert Paul O'Callaghan is optimistic that we can meet the challenges. 'If the starting point becomes that we don't withdraw water from nature, that has all kinds of positive effects.'

Paul O'Callaghan is a top international expert on water technology innovations | Credits: BlueTech Research

'Take this hotel. If they use a shower system that recycles water, capture some of the rainwater, use water for groundwater recharge and reuse some of the wastewater for irrigation, you could vastly improve the efficiency of water use.' Just a few suggestions from Paul O'Callaghan, one of the world's best-known water experts, when Change Inc. speaks to him on a blisteringly hot Friday in June at the Huis ter Duin hotel in Noordwijk.

One thing quickly becomes clear when sitting down with the calm yet lively speaking Irishman: this is a man who thinks in terms of opportunities. Sustainable opportunities, that is. A biochemist and water management expert, O'Callaghan began his career in the late 1990s at The Body Shop, where he worked on improving wastewater systems. He then went on to serve as a consultant, associate professor of renewable energy and engineer on commercial water projects, among others.

In 2010, O'Callaghan founded his own innovative water technology consulting firm, BlueTech Research, where he remains the ceo. He gained worldwide fame in 2020 as producer of the award-winning documentary Brave Blue World, supported by Hollywood stars such as Liam Neeson, Matt Damon and Jaden Smith. The film highlights that challenges around the availability of sufficient drinking water around the world are great, but also that we have the technological and other resources to solve this problem.