Climate change impact on water resources
Climate change is mainly manifested through changes in the water cycle. Since the beginning of the 21st century until now, about ¾ of the natural disasters have been related to water. That includes: droughts, floods, melting glaciers, rising sea levels and increasing and intensifying storms.
Water temperature is one of the central parameters that determines the overall health of aquatic ecosystems, as aquatic organisms have a specific range of temperatures that they can tolerate. Climate change is expected to lead to rising water temperatures in rivers and lakes, reducing ice cover, thus affecting water quality and freshwater ecosystems. All these phenomena are all too often accompanied by severe consequences for humans and environment. The frequency and intensity of such events is expected to increase with further climate change.
Climate change is reducing the predictability of water availability, deteriorating water quality and threatening global sustainable development, biodiversity conservation and people's right to safe drinking water and sanitation. Contaminated water is a huge threat to human life, especially for the youngest. Water and sewage diseases are one of the leading causes of death in children. Every day, more than 700 children under the age of 5 die from diarrhea related to insufficient water, sanitation and hygiene.
Growing global water demand increases the need for energy-intensive pumping, transportation and water treatment. Increased water stress and meeting future demand for new water sources will require increasingly difficult decisions on how to distribute water resources among competing water users.
The impact of climate change will have direct consequences for water security. Research shows that by 2050, more than half of the world's population and about half of the world's grain production will be at risk of water stress if the traditional water usage practices are maintained. Such projections further reinforce the need for a new, adequate approach to water use, as well as measures to mitigate and adapt to climate change.
Scientists predict that due to the growing unpredictability of rainfall patterns and intense storms, climate change will lead to major changes in water availability across Europe. As a result, Southern and Southeastern Europe will experience water shortages, and much of the continent will be threatened by frequent floods. These changes are expected to affect many land and marine regions as well as many different natural systems, and plant and animal species.
There is a growing awareness of the need to increase investment in improving the quality of water resources management; providing reliable hydrological data; improving education activities, capacity development, risk assessment and sharing good practices. Plans for adaptation to climate change, and in particular changes in the water cycle, must include targeted strategies that help lower-income people (who tend to suffer the most from climate change) to adapt to the new conditions.
