Understanding Water Security in a Changing Climate

Md. Jannatul Naeem Jibon
Jun 3
2 min read

Water is fundamental to both societal well-being and ecosystem health. However, water security encompasses more than mere availability; it requires sufficient quantity and quality, along with reliable and acceptable access.

A state of water security ensures that populations can sustainably maintain livelihoods, health, socioeconomic development, and political stability. While socioeconomic factors such as population growth and dietary trends significantly influence water security, climate change is increasingly recognized as a key driver of global water insecurity, with certain regions facing heightened vulnerability.

Impact of Climate change on Water Security

Climate change affects various dimensions of water security in multiple ways. Most directly, it alters water availability across regions and critical seasons, with prolonged droughts increasingly impacting arid areas in countries such as India, China, the United States, and across Africa. Conversely, extreme rainfall and flooding events compromise water quality, rendering it unsafe for consumption. In coastal zones and small island states, rising sea levels and intensified storms contribute to groundwater salinisation, further threatening freshwater supplies. Indirectly, climate change also undermines water-related infrastructure, hindering the safe and reliable access to adequate water in both quantity and quality.

An estimated 1.5 to 2.5 billion people currently face water scarcity, a figure projected to rise to 3 billion at 2°C and 4 billion at 4°C of global warming by 2050.

While factors like population growth and consumption patterns contribute to scarcity, climate change is increasingly a key driver. Often seasonal in nature, water scarcity is expected to intensify with more extreme dry periods, leading to declining groundwater levels and reduced soil moisture. Climate change also threatens water quality. Drier conditions concentrate pollutants, while increased runoff and flooding introduce contaminants into water bodies. Moreover, higher temperatures further degrade water quality by reducing oxygen levels.

Robust infrastructure is essential for water access, sanitation, and waste management. However, climate-induced extremes, especially floods and storms, pose significant risks—particularly in developing regions where infrastructure remains highly vulnerable to damage and contamination.

Significant regional disparities exist in climate-related water risks, with certain areas facing disproportionately higher burdens. While projections of climate change impacts on water security differ by region, global patterns of water-related extremes are becoming increasingly evident and supported by growing scientific confidence.