Hamza Farrukh, the founder and CEO of the Solar Water Project, Bondh E Shams, delivered a powerful virtual address from Stanford University, California, to the global leaders at COP29. With urgency and passion, Hamza called for immediate, scalable solutions to fight the interconnected challenges of climate change and water insecurity, urging the world to prioritize vulnerable communities.
“Climate change is water change,” Hamza emphasized. “For billions, this crisis is not an abstract issue—it’s a daily battle for survival.”
He pointed to the devastating 2022 floods in Pakistan, which displaced 33 million people and left millions without access to clean water, as a wake-up call for global action.
Bondh E Shams, under Hamza’s leadership, has been making waves with its innovative OASIS Box™, a solar-powered water filtration system that provides 10,000 liters of safe water daily.
This innovation is part of Pakistan’s first carbon-offset water purification project certified by Gold Standard titled “OASIS Box Sustainable Project (GS11721). This project is 100% additional; meaning this work would not be possible without carbon-backed financing. This is a shining example of how clean technology can address water insecurity while reducing greenhouse gas emissions. With sufficient support, the project could reach 140,000 people, prevent 250,000 tons of emissions, and create local jobs.
Hamza challenged the current global funding priorities to stress a more realistic balance between supporting nascent carbon removal technologies, which supply less than 3% of the global reductions, and already scalable carbon avoidance projects. He called for stronger public-private partnerships to bridges the funding gap for early-stage climate solutions, enabling projects like Bondh E Shams to scale and make a difference worldwide.
In his closing remarks, Hamza inspired hope and action: “Together, where could we go next? Kenya? Nepal? Brazil? If you, the policymakers and funders, help break down barriers, we, the implementers, are ready to deliver real change.”
Global leaders, policymakers, and investors are encouraged to connect with Bondh E Shams (Solar Water Project) at the Pakistan Pavilion at COP29 to explore partnerships and expand these transformative solutions to communities in need.
