Climate change

Climate change is affecting the water cycle, altering rainfall patterns and temperatures, causing more frequent and intense floods and droughts, reducing snow cover and causing glaciers to melt. These effects are altering ecosystems and increasing sea levels, both of which carry risks.

Because of its dual impact on water resources and demand, climate change is affecting a range of sectors including agriculture, energy, fishing, tourism, health and biodiversity.

In order to be effective, climate change adaptation actions must be implemented in a way that priorities coordinated, participatory, socially responsible, integrated and sustainable water resource management, and at all levels: nationally, locally, and at the scale of river basins, lakes and aquifers.

In particular, these actions should focus on capacity building (e.g. training on risks, rainwater recovery, irrigation practices, water quality preservation, recycling, etc.), on strengthening knowledge about the shifting balance between resources and demand (e.g. monitoring and data-sharing networks, interoperable water information systems, impact and vulnerability assessments, balance forecasts, etc.), on enhancing governance (developing operational strategies and programmes, decision-support tools, implementing legal frameworks, application of the polluter pays principle, etc.), on adapting planning, development and water management tools, and on increasing funding for climate action.