Picture a world where no water comes out when you turn on the tap. This isn’t just a scene from a movie, it’s real for many people. As our planet gets hotter, our water supply is at risk. It this blog I will be exploring how climate change is affecting our water, and what it means for us all.
What is Water Security?
Water is vital for all aspects of society and ecosystem requirements. The concept of water security is multifaceted and extends beyond mere water availability. It’s crucial that water is present in adequate amounts and quality, and is accessible in a suitable form. Thus, a state of water security signifies the presence and accessibility of enough pure water to enable a community to sustainably maintain its livelihoods, health, socioeconomic growth, and political stability.
“The capacity of a population to safeguard sustainable access to adequate quantities of acceptable quality water for sustaining livelihoods, human well-being, and socio-economic development, for ensuring protection against water-borne pollution and water-related disasters, and for preserving ecosystems in a climate of peace and political stability.”
– Working definition of Water Security, UN-Water
Figure: National water security mapped globally, based on a score of 1-100. National scores are classified as water ‘secure’ (75 and above), ‘moderately secure’ (65–74), ‘insecure’ (41-64), or ‘critically insecure’ (40 or less) [Source: Global Water Security 2023 Assessment]
Impact of Climate Change on Water Security
Numerous socioeconomic elements, including population expansion and dietary habits, significantly influence water security. However, climate change is progressively recognized as a key factor in global water insecurity, with certain areas facing greater risks than others. The impacts of climate change can vary across different aspects of water security:
Primarily, climate change is impacting the total water supply in various regions and during crucial seasons. Lengthier dry spells and droughts are already influencing water availability, particularly in the dry regions of India, China, the USA, and Africa. Other extreme conditions, like heavy rainfall and floods, can degrade water quality, rendering it unfit for consumption. For instance, in coastal areas and small islands, the combined impact of rising sea levels and more severe storms threatens water security by escalating the salinity of groundwater resources.
Secondary consequences of climate change on water security encompass impacts on the infrastructure responsible for the supply and restoration of water resources. These impacts can compromise the secure access to sufficient water resources, in both quality and quantity aspects.
Image: Children’s access to safe water and sanitation is a right, not a privilege [Source: United Nations]
In the next part of this article I will discuss how climate change affects the crucial components of water security i.e., water scarcity, water quality and adequate water infrastructure.
Water Scarcity
Numerous socioeconomic elements, like population increase and dietary habits, play a significant role in water scarcity. However, climate is progressively being recognized as a crucial factor contributing to global scarcity. Water scarcity frequently occurs seasonally, and it’s anticipated that climate change will intensify these seasonal extremes. Typically, successive years of drier conditions result in a long-term decline in groundwater levels, directly impacting water availability and indirectly affecting soil moisture over time.
Image: A man shades himself from the sun with an umbrella as he carries drinking water across the dry bed of the Upper Lake in Bhopal, India | Prakash Hatvalne [Source: USAID.gov]
Water Quality
Climate change, being a crucial aspect of water security, will influence water quality in various manners. Less rainfall results in decreased water availability, potentially leading to a rise in pollutant concentration. Increased runoff and flooding events can introduce contaminants into water sources. As climate change is expected to enhance the spatial and temporal variability of rainfall, such effects on water quality are becoming more probable. Elevated temperatures contribute to the degradation of water quality by diminishing oxygen levels.
Adequate Water Infrastructure
Another vital element in guaranteeing secure access to water resources is the presence of sufficient infrastructure for water access, disposal, and sanitation. Regrettably, the intensifying extremes brought about by climate change, particularly floods and escalating storm activities, pose a significant threat to such infrastructure. This is especially true in developing regions of the world, where the infrastructure is more prone to damage and pollution.
Key Facts
Research suggests that presently, around 1.5 to 2.5 billion individuals reside in areas globally that are experiencing water scarcity. These figures are expected to rise steadily, with projections of up to 3 billion people at a 2°C temperature increase and up to 4 billion people at a 4°C increase by 2050.
Out of 7.78 billion people residing in 186 countries, over 0.61 billion people (8%) are critically water-insecure and 5.52 billion (72%) are water-insecure, including 4.31 billion people in the Asia-Pacific region, 1.34 billion in Africa, 415 million in the Americas, and almost 66 million in Europe.
About 0.65 billion people (8%) live in moderately water-secure countries and over 1 billion (12%) live in water-secure countries, primarily in Europe (0.7 billion) and the Americas (0.6 billion).
Access to safely managed drinking water and sanitation are still a dream for more than half the global population. More than 10% of people (close to 800 million) do not have access to even basic drinking water, and more than 70% (close to 5.5 billion) do not have access to a safely managed drinking water service.
More than 22% (1.71 billion) do not have access to even basic sanitation, and more than 53% (over 4.12 billion) do not have access to safely managed sanitation.
25 countries in Africa are severely impacted by WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) related mortality, with estimated rates of over 40 deaths per 100,000 people annually, while 20 Asian Pacific countries have mortality rates between 10-40 deaths per 100,000.
Climate change, population growth and increasing water scarcity will put pressure on food supply as most of the freshwater used, about 70 per cent on average, is used for agriculture (it takes between 2000 and 5000 liters of water to produce a person’s daily food).
Image: Protesters decry water shortages in Montevideo, Uruguay. Photo: AFP/Eitan Abramovich
Reference
IPCC. Climate Change 2022: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability | Climate Change 2022: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability.
UNDP. Water. UNDP
United Nation. Water – at the center of the climate crisis. United Nations; United Nations.
UN-Water. UNU-INWEH: Global Water Security 2023 Assessment. UN-Water.
UN-Water. What is Water Security? Infographic. UN-Water.
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