COP16 side event : Water and climate: broadening approaches for adaptation strategies

This meeting will bring together scientists, stakeholders and UNFCCC (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change) negotiating parties to discuss the impact of climate change and other drivers on our planet’s freshwater resources. Stakeholders will have the opportunity to present their particular perspectives and expectations, while decision-makers and other participants will be invited to provide examples of relevant policies, responses and actions.

Our planet’s freshwater resources are being heavily affected by climatic changes already underway. In the face of these impacts, adaptation measures, in addition to mitigation, are what matters most for the water sector.

Regardless of mitigation measures we employ over the coming years, the effects of climatic changes, in interaction with other drivers such as demographics, social change, economic development, technology, governance and finance, will have a significant impact on water quality and availability and will create pressures in other areas, e.g. food, energy, environmental degradation.

As new and increased risks and uncertainties emerge from accelerated changes, the picture becomes further complicated. Rather than addressing each issue in isolation, a broader and ‘out-of-the–box’ approach is crucial if we are to tackle the crises we face today and avoid new or worse crises tomorrow.