Climate and Water Go Hand-in-Hand
Climate and water go hand-in-hand — we must ensure these core systems are addressed equally and in unison.
Globally, the effects of climate change are already being felt with rising
temperatures, droughts, and heatwaves as well as more frequent and severe storm events impacting water quantity and water quality. As such, water managers at all levels of governance, from the city to transboundary river basin level, need to ensure communities are resilient to water scarcity pressures as well as water excesses, all the while ensuring the natural system and its associated ecosystem services are protected and enhanced.
In this context, a community that is resilient to climatic extremes is one that is:
- Reflective: Learns from experiences
- Robust: People and infrastructure can withstand the impacts of extreme conditions
- Forward-thinking: Plans are made to ensure systems function in extreme conditions
- Flexible: Systems and plans can change
- Inclusive: All stakeholders are involved in planning)
- Integrated: People, systems, decisions, investments, etc. are mutually supportive of common goals
There is, however, no single action or strategy that any government — city, state, nation, or transboundary organisation — can implement to ensure a community is resilient to climate change-related extreme weather events while protecting the natural system. Instead, climate resilient water resources management requires integrated, forward-thinking policies, practices, and technologies that not only are adaptable to changing climatic conditions but also seek to maximise economic and social welfare in an equitable manner while ensuring the health of ecosystems.
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