Circle of Blue: 'Climate Change is Water Change'

The great website Circle of Blue reports that the Global Public Policy Network convened a meeting this week to discuss the critical intersections between water and climate change.

Apparently, the meeting came together primarily because water was stricken from the draft text for the December's big Copenhagen climate conference. From Circle of Blue:

The Global Public Policy Network, a group that includes the United Nations own water group and other water-related organizations, hosted a “water day” on Monday to coincide with the final build-up conference before the United Nations Copenhagen Climate Conference next month. Water experts say they are are deeply dismayed that all references to water have been stricken from the Non Paper 31 – the draft text for Copenhagen. The organizations hope they can convince negotiators to re-instate mention of climate change impacts on water.

“Negotiators’ failure to recognize the role that water has in adapting to climate change could have severe implications for future levels of water security and ensuring more resilient systems for the future – in fact it risks undermining many of the objectives of the adaptation climate change discussions,” said Emily Benson, project manager for the Stakeholder Forum, in an email interview with Circle of Blue.

The forum, an international multi-stakeholder organization working on sustainable development, released a statement Tuesday about water “evaporating” from the climate change talks.

“The way that water is managed in and between countries will be a critical component for the success of any efforts to adapt to the impacts of climate change. It will also be a vital consideration for many mitigation activities, including hydropower, agriculture and forestry projects,” the statement said.

“Even with the best mitigation strategies, water related effects of climate change will come,” said Anders Berntell, executive director of the Stockholm International Water Institute. “The challenge for many nations is, how to adapt. Climate change is in effect water change, since it will be through water that the changes will be realized first and foremost.”

It's a shame that water is largely ignored in international climate discussions, but you can begin working in your community to make sure that water issues are properly addressed by policy makers and global warming advocates. By helping the public understand that water is the primary vector for global warming impacts - and that water-oriented approaches offer some of the most cost-effective ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions - we can make sure that our water challenges are met head on and that responses to global warming don't neglect the most critical of resources, water.

Read more at: Climate Change Is Water Change — Water Experts React to Barcelona Negotiations

Update 11/6/09: WaterWired covers this story yesterday by posting a press release from the Global Water Partnership called "Water Evaporates from the Climate Change Negotiating Text:"

To a large extent, the global climate crisis is a global water crisis. Yet the latest iteration of the negotiating text on adaptation, the so-called Non-Paper 31, has deleted any clear references to water and its management as a vital consideration for climate change adaptation. This is despite increasing mobilisation by the water community to call for a strong outcome on water from Copenhagen.
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The Water Day was held against a backdrop of drought and famine as many developing countries begin to experience the devastating impacts of climate change on the water cycle. If precautions are not taken, this may lead to an increase in conflicts related to water availability and distribution. Extreme weather events leading to drought and floods, as recently witnessed in Kenya and the Philippines, are predicted to increase in frequency and intensity as a result of climate change, and are likely to become the norm' in coming decades. It is imperative for the Parties to the UNFCCC to recognize the pivotal role of water in adapting to climate change in order to increase resilience and achieve sustainable development.