Water and climate change

Lack of water causes droughts and droughts are sometimes responsible for wildfires, among other things. On the other hand too much water could trigger developments like floods and sea level rise. In an article titled “water at the center of the climate crisis,” by the United Nations, un.org, it is argued that “water and climate change are inextricably linked…most impacts of climate change come down to water.” Water in this article does not include the Ocean. The Ocean is discussed elsewhere.

According to the un.org, adequate safe drinking water is not readily available in many countries, “over two billion people worldwide don’t have access to safe drinking water today, and roughly half of the world’s population is experiencing severe water scarcity for at least part of the year,” and climate change helps in making the situation even worse it says. The article points out that “only 0.5 per cent .of water on Earth is useable and available freshwater – and climate change is dangerously affecting that supply. Over the past twenty years, terrestrial water storage – including soil moisture, snow and ice – has dropped at a rate of 1 cm per year, with major ramifications for water security.”

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), has completed a study of the state of the world’s water, titled, “The United Nations World Water Development Report 2025,” unesdoc.unesco.org. Its emphasis was on freshwater sources and it has published some interesting findings.

Addressing the world’s fresh water usage for the last few years UNESCO claims “the agriculture sector dominates fresh water withdrawals (72%), followed by industry (15%) and domestic (or municipal) use (13%)”, and that this usage varies with countries depending mostly on agriculture using less water than countries that rely mainly on industrial production. Here again, climate change is seen as a threat to continued adequate water availability, It says, “climate change is increasing seasonal variability in, and uncertainty about, water availability in most regions. Pollution, land and ecosystem degradation, and natural hazards can further compromise the availability of water resources.”

The UNESCO article characterizes mountains “as the ‘water towers’ of the world,” indeed fresh water flowing from mountainous regions of the word helps in a big way to provide the water for thousands of tributaries and rivers that flow downstream into villages, towns and cities. Mountains receive a fair amount of precipitation or rain during the warm seasons, some of it run down into tributaries but some seep through rocks and sands and get stored in what is called aquifers. Water leaking from aquifers seeps down mountains at a slower pace than the regular rain water and helps in the continuous availability of downstream water supplies. Snow falling on the world’s mountains initiates conditions for water for creation. When the weather is very cold and snow falls on mountains, ice or glaciers are usually formed. When the weather gets warm the ice and the glaciers melt, but the glaciers to a lesser degree. This also contributes water to tributaries and rivers flowing downstream into communities, and like rainfalls, this process makes water contributions to aquifers which help to provide a dependable source of continuous water supply.. According to the article, “global warming is accelerating glacier melt, decreasing snow cover, increasing permafrost thaw and promoting more extreme rainfall events”, these occurrences will most likely cause floodings, water contamination and unreliable water supplies.

Though mountains generally serve as areas of reliable water generation, human intrusion on mountainous lands can affect this process. The articles indicate that, “rapid and unplanned urbanization in mountain regions is…placing pressure on fragile mountain ecosystems, affecting water availability, quality and security.” Concerning hydropower, it argues, “the construction and presence of dams and reservoirs, transmission lines and substations can have a significant negative impact on fragile mountain ecosystems.”

The report contends that water sources on mountains need to be protected by government policies to the same extent as water in low-lying areas or when rivers cross international boundaries and venture downstream into other countries. It states that “regional cooperation among countries, including river basin governance initiatives, is an important mechanism for advancing climate adaptation.” The report concludes that mountains are primary sources of water for humans and ecosystems alike and public policies about water sources should be equal to the crucial role they play, it states “actions must be taken to better understand and protect these fragile environments, increasingly threatened by climate change and unsustainable human activities.”