Astonishingly, it has taken 46 years for the United Nations to hold its second global Water Conference (March 22-23, 2023, New York).
As hopes rise for ambitious global water commitments, a recent comment in Nature highlights why water must be at the heart of climate action:
· Water is the primary medium through which people experience climate change.
· Three-quarters of all disasters are water-related.
· 1.5 billion to 2.5 billion people live in areas where water is scarce for at least part of the year.
· Development and rapid urbanisation are increasing global demand for water.
The article concludes that the gap between articulation and action must be urgently bridged, and water must be incorporated into climate action in at least three ways:
(1) Water must be managed for climate resilience;
(2) Water considerations must be considered as part of climate mitigation; and
(3) More investment must be made in water-based adaptation.
This blog post is brought to you by Draper & Draper LLC, a law firm devoted to international arbitration, resolution of transboundary water, natural resources and renewable energy disputes, and climate change innovation.
(Content acknowledgement: Nature - Comment - March 22, 2023 by M. Feisal Rahman, Aditi Mukherji, Åse Johannessen, Shilpi Srivastava, Joep Verhagen, Henk Ovink, Willem Ligtvoet and Emmanuel Olet)
(Image acknowledgement: United Nations)
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