Onewater

For centuries, Mongolia’s nomadic herders have lived in harmony with the land — moving with the seasons, following water, tending their animals. But now, conditions are changing drastically. Rising temperatures, shrinking pastures, and extreme weather are threatening a way of life that has endured for generations. As one herder explained: “We have always adapted to the land. But now… the land itself is disappearing.” The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is working to help local communities adapt to a changing climate.  Herders of Change , an up-coming documentary produced by Onewater, follows their story. 👉 To find out more: https://lnkd.in/d7N3GK4y    František Ficek | Veronica Relano | Christian Fischer | ADB Water | VIVEK RAMAN | Satoshi Ishii | Shannon Cowlin

This is a subject very close to my heart, as a Mexican, I grew up with a diet based on corn and the products of the Milpa, but corn is not just a food for us, it is part of our identity. While GM crops may be beneficial in some cases, in the case of corn, they threaten its biodiversity and the independence of Mexican farmers. Small communities' work to preserve traditional farming techniques and native maize is essential. I was very happy to translate this article into Spanish, you can also read it in English, German, Russian, Portuguese, and Amharic.

Onewater’s latest article takes us to Mexico, where small-scale farmers are fighting to protect their agricultural traditions. Milpa is a 5000-year-old Mesoamerican farming system that interplants maize, beans, squash, and more. In doing so, Milpa is a practice that supports biodiversity, regenerates soil, and sustains communities. Milpa is an important part of Mexico’s biocultural heritage—one that has nourished both land and people for millennia. Now, two huge forces are pushing Milpa towards extinction: the legacies of the Green Revolution and the impacts of climate change. Yet, in the face of these threats, Milpa reminds us that ancestral knowledge may be key to a more resilient future. 👉 Read the full story in multiple languages (including Spanish): https://lnkd.in/dPUjmWiU Written by Greta Rico Translations by Amanuel Getu Molla (Amharic), Stefan Klöckner (German), Temitope Sanni (Portuguese), Carolina Chambel (Portuguese), Sofia Bilmes (Russian), Martha Angelica P. (Spanish) Vincent Munuve | Ian Yee | The Fourth | Mariana Vásquez Valverde | Heifer International | Emilia Mikulewicz | FAO | Craig Lawson | Joanna Ilicic | Carlota Vilalva | Elizabeth Basauri Bryan | Purnima Menon | Andres Felipe Herreño Lopera

This has been a devastating week for whale conservation. On 1 April, Japan’s commercial whaling season began off the coast of Hokkaido. A female minke whale, 8.1 metres long, weighing over 5 tonnes, was killed using an exploding harpoon by the whaling company Ayukawa Hogei. The first minke whale of an annual quota of 144. Her body was later offloaded at Nemuro port and will be sold as sashimi in supermarkets within days. Just two days later, on 3 April, Norway resumed its own commercial whaling operations. The first minke of the season was killed in the Varangerfjord by the crew of the Reinebuen. Norway’s quota for 2025 has risen to 1,406 minke whales, a substantial increase from 2024 due to unfulfilled killing targets last year. That’s a combined total of over 1,500 whales now legally permitted to be killed in just two countries this year. As someone who lives and breathes this topic, I can tell you: - There is no robust market demand for whale meat in either country. - Scientific justification for these hunts does not withstand scrutiny. - There is no humane way to kill a whale at sea. Both Japan and Norway are continuing to undermine global marine conservation efforts by operating outside the mandates of the INTERNATIONAL WHALING COMMISSION, using quotas that do not reflect ecological necessity or public interest. At Whale and Dolphin Conservation, we are gathering evidence, working with policy-makers and building international pressure to bring these practices to an end. This isn’t culture. This isn’t scientific research. This is state-sanctioned cruelty. #StopWhaling #AnimalWelfare #EndWhaling

Are you aged 5-22 and feel connected to the Salzach river? Well, this is your chance to write a letter to the Salzach! Share your thoughts, tell it a story, write a poem, or draw it a picture. Let your imagination flow! Send your letter by June 30, 2025, and it might be featured at the Salzach River Rally in Burghausen on July 19th, where winners and fun prizes will be announced. Last year, we gave out cinema tickets, books, pool passes, and even trips to Bayernpark  🎉 Don’t forget to include your name and age. On the back, ask a parent or teacher to write their email and phone number so we can contact you if you win.   You can drop your letter at the Bürgerhaus mailbox in Burghausen, or send it to: 📮 Veronica Relano – Röntgenstr. 34, 84489 Burghausen 📧 Or email it to: veronica@onewater.blue   Any questions? Reach out to chris@onewater.blue Veronica Relano | Christian Fischer | Alpine Rivers Symposium | Stadt Burghausen

Water is not a commodity: it’s a public good, and must remain so.     On March 3, 2025, the European Water Movement (EWM) submitted its official contribution to the European Commission’s Call for Evidence on the Water Resilience strategy. The EWM’s message is clear: we need bold, public-centered water governance rooted in democracy and human rights, not more privatization, speculation, or greenwashing. Key calls to action include:   - Recognize water as a common good - Guarantee the Human Right to Water and Sanitation - Prioritize preservation over profit - Enforce the polluter-pays principle - Invest in Nature-based Solutions - Protect water in all EU policies—from farming to AI - Ensure access, justice, and participation for all It’s time for a water strategy that works for people, not profit. 👉 Read more in multiple languages: https://lnkd.in/g-Dmrx_s Written by Athénaïs Georges, Jerry van den Berge, PhD, Lucio Gentili, Wolfgand Deinlein Dante Maschio Gastelaars | Aura Vidal Carrasco | Zaklina Zivkovic | Iskra Krstić | Coordination eau Ile-de-France | Eau Secours | Milo Fiasconaro | Pablo Sánchez | Aqua Publica Europea | Eau du Grand Lyon | Anne Le Strat | Anne Grosperrin | Michael Bender | European Environmental Bureau | Engineering Without Borders (EWB)

Earlier this month, I had the opportunity to participate in #EUOceanDays in Brussels. Honored to have been part of this important event organised by the European Commission, bringing together passionate experts, policymakers, and organisations dedicated to the future of our ocean. Over the last few years, I’ve consciously deepened my involvement in ocean-related issues, and I couldn’t be happier with that decision or more grateful for the incredible people and organisations I’ve met along the way. I feel truly immersed in this "Blue World", and events like this only strengthen my commitment to ocean protection and sustainability. It’s inspiring to see initiatives that bridge science, policy, and community in meaningful ways. Commissioner Costa Kadis reinforced this by creating space for young voices, emphasising that youth participation isn’t just encouraged—it’s essential in the fight to protect our oceans. A special highlight for the project #LettersToTheSea by Onewater, a beautiful fusion of science and art that raises awareness of ocean conservation through personal and collective storytelling. Also, a big thanks to the German Ocean Foundation, which continues to do remarkable work in ocean protection and education. But events and conferences must lead to #action. Discussions, commitments, and strategies are important, but they need to be followed by concrete implementation. Protecting our ocean requires collaboration beyond words—policies must be enforced, sustainable practices adopted, and impactful projects supported. We don’t have time to wait while nature reminds us every day who is really in charge. The ocean connect us all. Let’s continue to take action to ensure its future. 🌍💙 #EUOceanDays #OceanPact #OceanLiteracy #OceanConservation #GermanOceanFoundation #LettersToTheSea #BlueEconomy #UNOC3 #SaveOurOcean #SaveOurPlanet #Artivism

A delightful set of coincidences happened few days ago in France! March 22nd was World Water Day and day before, 21st, was the first ever World Glacier Day. As you know, I have consistently tried to illustrate that climate crisis is first and foremost a water crisis in different stories and formats. In a strange clash, three of my long term projects on that were seen in France that week! -> My winning photo essay from from Ladakh illustrating how vanishing winters and disappearing winters are affecting the local communities for the Walk of Water contest by UNESCO World Water Assessment Programme/Onewater is part of an exhibition displayed on the UNESCO Headquarters Fence in Paris this month and next. View the full photo essay here - https://lnkd.in/dXWzs4TV -> It was my first tryst with ICIMOD over five years ago that inadvertently led me to shift focus from gallivanting around the world to covering climate change. I have since collaborated with them consistently and delighted to be a part of CONFLUENCE, a new transboundary storytelling project to mark the first-ever UN World Day for Glaciers. As part of it, a short film Deej Phillips and I made from our ongoing longterm documentary project in Ladakh was screened at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris during the launch event and you’ll get to see it soon! View the trailer here - https://lnkd.in/d3kahHQk -> Incidentally, our first film The Weight of Water (TWoW) has been broadcasted several times over the last month on France’s Ushuaïa TV, and is streaming on CANAL+ till May this year! TWoW has now been broadcasted around the world to millions in six different languages— Nepali (original), English, German, Arabic, Spanish (all four courtesy DW TV) and French(courtesy Ushuaïa TV)! I couldn’t be more happy or grateful that the many challenges notwithstanding, somehow my work remains personally satisfying and socially relevant, and is also not relegated to some forgotten corners of the internet but maintains relevance in the physical world even years after its first launch.

The Everest region is located within the Earth’s “Third Pole,” in the greater Hindu Kush–Himalayan system. This area holds the largest volume of ice in the world outside the Arctic and Antarctic.   But, the glaciers in the Everest region are melting faster than ever. Once thought eternal, the ice is disappearing—altering the future of the billions who depend on this critical ecosystem.   Onewater’s latest photostory captures both the beauty and the urgency of what’s at stake as climate change reshapes the top of the world.   👉 Read the full article in multiple languages: https://lnkd.in/dsUVTyDu Photos by Chris Bierl Translations: Rahfatun Nisa Nova (Bangla), Haiyu D. (Chinese), Sarra Hamdi (French), Ambre Grimault (French), Stefan Klöckner (German), Jaya Shukla (Hindi), Dinesh Timsina (Nepali), Luciana Moletta (Portuguese), Sofia Bilmes (Russian), Olga D. P. (Spanish), Muqaddas Tariq (Urdu) Ansgar Fellendorf | Lis Mullin Bernhardt | David Potter | Maheshwar Dhakal | Izabella Koziell | Carolina Adler | ICIMOD | WWF Nepal | James Kirkham | International Cryosphere Climate Initiative | Miriam Jackson | Susana Hancock | Nidhi Jamwal

March 21, 2025. The first World Day for Glaciers initiated this year by UNESCO. Also the day when I got to witness my photo exhibited outside the UNESCO HQ in Paris alongside many other great photos for the Onewater Walk of Water exhibition. Thank you Onewater for selecting my photo and giving me this opportunity to participate to the opening ceremony of first World Day for Glaciers and the start of the Decade of Action for Cryospheric Sciences. Let's hope this is the start of more climate action triggered by the stories that melting glaciers have to share. Link to the full photo-story: https://lnkd.in/dYUkMWRy