National and international water policy must adapt to ongoing, accelerated changes in the global water cycle and respond to them quickly and comprehensively. This is the key message of the WBGU report ‚Water in a heated world‘, which the German Advisory Council on Global Change (WBGU) presented to Federal Environment Minister Steffi Lemke and the Parliamentary State Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Education and Research, Mario Brandenburg.
Frequent water emergencies
The effects of climate change, the overexploitation of water resources, the unequal distribution of water, the loss of ecosystem services, and related health risks are increasingly leading to water emergencies. Recent examples include the declaration of a water emergency in Catalonia due to water shortages in spring 2024, large-scale catastrophic flooding events such as those which occurred a few weeks ago in Eastern Europe, or the increasing pollution of water resources in many parts of Africa.
„We expect such regional water emergencies to occur more and more frequently, so we can now speak of a global pattern. We see this as a threat with a global dimension,“ warns WBGU member Jörg Drewes.
In extreme cases, situations arise that are beyond the limits of controllability. They can lead to the destabilization of political, societal and ecological systems. Climate-change mitigation, the protection of ecosystems and a climate-resilient, socially balanced water management are the most important measures for preventing water emergencies.
Place water higher on the international political agenda
The upcoming UN Water Conferences in 2026 and 2028 offer a window of opportunity to negotiate an International Water Strategy that recognizes the protection of water resources as a common concern of humankind, and strengthens and interlinks existing processes and conventions. In addition to ‚blue‘ water (e.g. streams, rivers, lakes, reservoirs, groundwater), ‚green‘ water (i.e. soil moisture that enables plant growth) should also be given greater consideration in the strategy and taken into account worldwide in the implementation of climate-resilient water management.
The international strategy should be incorporated into intergovernmental economic and trade relations, also to make the most of synergies between the protection of water resources and strengthening climate-neutral development and food security. Implementing the goals of the three Rio Conventions on climate, biodiversity and desertification is essential for this. Overall, the topic of water should be placed higher on the international agenda.
Interview with Jörg Drewes: Are water emergencies still manageable?
In our latest issue of gwf Wasser|Abwasser, we spoke to Jörg Drewes from the WBGU. You can find exciting insights and further information on water in a heated world in the November issue (Publication date 21 November 2024 ), which focuses on climate change.
„The limits of controllability in water emergencies are reached when social structures and ecosystems destabilize and the scope for action disappears“, says Drewes.
Establish climate-resilient water management
It is of key importance, locally and regionally, to establish a climate-resilient, socially balanced water-management system in which infrastructures and procedures can adapt to the increasing changes in the water balance. Well-functioning self-organized structures, e. g. water-user associations, should be strengthened and supported. The protection of water quality requires consistent implementation of the zero-pollution approach and an efficient circular water economy, incorporating ecosystems and the active management of green water in the form of soil moisture. „However, this will not succeed without credible long-term funding for the necessary measures from both public and private sources,“ says WBGU co-chair Karen Pittel.
