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Adaptation to global change impacts on water resources

Global changes, such as demographic growth, land use change,

urbanization, and climate change place a serious pressure over water

resources. In particular the impacts of climate change, including

changes in temperature, precipitation and sea level, are expected

to have varying consequences for the availability of fresh water in

the world. Several IHP projects support Member States in reducing

vulnerability to climate and global change impacts on water resources

and achieving sustainable water management. By coordinating

science-based cooperation among countries facing similar challenges,

the projects strengthen regional and topical research capacities and

increase the chances for creating appropriate solutions.

One example is the work on glaciers. They are an intrinsic

element of the water-related culture, landscape and environment

in high mountain regions; and they are key indicators and unique

demonstrations of global warming and climate change. With rising

global temperatures, glaciers are experiencing a rapid decline in

mass. Given their important role as sources of fresh water, changes

in mountain glaciers will have significant impacts on livelihoods.

The current IHP project, ‘International Multidisciplinary Network

for Adaptation Strategies related to the Impact of Glacier Retreat in

the Andes’, is addressing climate change impacts on Andean glaciers,

in partnership with the Andean Climate Change Inter-American

Observatory network, El Consorcio para el Desarrollo Sostenible de

la Ecorregión Andina, the Mountain Partnership Secretariat (Food

and Agriculture Organization) and the Working Group on Snow

and Ice of the IHP for Latin America and the Caribbean. The project

is establishing an international multidisciplinary network which

will help to enhance resilience to global change impacts including

climate change and variability; analyse and develop understand-

ing of vulnerabilities (environmental and non-environmental); and

identify opportunities and challenges for adaptation.

Water education

The looming water crisis is to a large extent due to a lack of water-

related capacities rather than a lack of water resources. Water education

is key for the achievement of water-related development goals and

concerns all levels, settings and types of education. IHP assists Member

States in enhancing water-related education since its inception and is a

thematic leader for the implementation of the water component of the

UNESCO-led UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development.

Educational activities on water strongly promote cooperation and a

common understanding. At the higher education level this includes the

development of international and regional centres devoted to specific

water themes and the establishment of UNESCO Chairs in universities

with requirements on South-South, North-South and triangular cooper-

ation on education and research. At the level of stakeholder and school

education, it comprises the inclusion of cooperation development skills

in the curricula, the development of joint basin-wide (sometimes trans-

boundary) school projects, and the training of educators and trainers

at the regional level.

Arid and semi-arid environments

Arid and semi-arid areas face the greatest pressures to deliver and

manage freshwater resources. These areas are particularly prone to

climate change-induced vulnerability, with potentially serious social

and environmental consequences.

The IHP G-WADI programme has been successfully stimu-

lating cooperation among regional networks across Asia, Latin

America and the Caribbean, sub-Saharan Africa

and Arabia. G-WADI aims to strengthen the global

capacity to manage the water resources of arid

and semi-arid areas. For example, it developed

the G-WADI Geo-server, in collaboration with the

Centre for Hydrometerology and Remote Sensing of

the University of California in Irvine. This provides

online data access and visualization tools for precipi-

tation, especially important in transboundary basins

and aquifers in areas where ground observation

networks are lacking. The project’s website helps

water resource managers to improve flood forecast-

ing and warning, and drought monitoring.

Managing extremes: IFI

Flooding is the greatest known water-related natural

disaster, affecting an estimated 520 million people

across the world yearly, resulting in up to 25,000

annual deaths. Along with other water-related disasters,

floods cost the world economy some US$50-60 billion

a year.

An estimated 96 per cent of deaths related to

natural disasters in the past decade occurred in devel-

oping countries with limited capacity to forecast and

manage these disasters. The number of people vulner-

able to a devastating flood is expected to rise, due to

large-scale urbanization, population growth in natural

flood plains, increasing rates of deforestation, climate

change and rising sea levels.

IFI aims at developing capacities in Member

States to understand and better respond to floods by

taking advantage of their benefits while minimizing

their social, economic and environmental risks. It

also addresses existing management gaps through a

holistic approach and provides a platform for further

collaborative efforts. This requires an alliance of

competencies and mandates, and UNESCO IHP closely

cooperates with its partners WMO, UNU, IAHS, ISDR

and the International Centre for Water Hazard and

Risk Management. This network has developed an

enhanced knowledge system on all flood-related activ-

ities, such as monitoring, network design, improving

statistical analysis of floods, real-time forecasting and

flood modelling and risk management.

Water challenges are among the greatest dangers

for humanity. To face them and to succeed in sustain-

able development, we need better cooperation among

all water users, managers and those providing the

governance framework. By its very nature, water is

a cross-cutting issue which demands attention at all

levels and involves many stakeholders across sectors,

sometimes with conflicting and competing needs.

Water cooperation therefore takes many forms: from

managing shared underground aquifers and river

basins, to scientific data exchange, to financial and

technical cooperation. Cooperation between women

and men for gender-sensitive water governance is

fundamental. Cooperation in education, capacity

development and awareness raising prepares people

for the future.