DANIELLE MORLEY, EXECUTIVE SECRETARY, FRESHWATER ACTION NETWORK

The UNFCCC should swiftly move to address water and climate linkages. Global warming will transform the hydrological patterns that determine the availability of water. Many of the worlds water stressed areas will get less water; there will be less predictability of water flow and more extreme event.

A global discourse on water and climate change

Creating a global discourse on water and climate change within the UNFCC is critical across the mitigation and adaptation divide. A multi-lateral response should be met by a bottom up approach that responds to local communities’ rights. In July 2010 the UN General Assembly passed a resolution recognising the human right to water and sanitation and on 30 September 2010 the UN Human Rights Council made this legally binding with resolution; 'A/HRC/15/L.14. This resolution was the result of a decade of campaigning by civil society organisations, together with progressive governments. It can now be used as leverage for action on water and climate, as it is the poorest and most vulnerable who will be most affected by the changes to water availability.'

The biggest constraint and area of concern is the lack of national level coordination limited, funding and unclear policies with are not synergistic with the emerging climate science and importantly finance mechanisms. This absence of national policies or regulations to deal with water security in a changing climate and the low capacities of the public authorities to respond or adapt is a major concern.

Water security under threat

Around one fifth of the world’s population face water scarcity and 900 million lack access to safe drinking water. People living in the more fragile environments, such as temporary settlements or on land prone to flooding, are the most vulnerable to climatic impacts on water resources. Local communities are facing a diverse range of issues such as irregular rainfall and drought in Kenya, sea levels rising and contaminating freshwater in Bangladesh, depletion of the groundwater table in Southern India and long periods of floods and droughts in the Apa Basin between Brazil and Paraguay. The majority of those asked believe that climate change is exacerbating such issues.

Lack of access to adequate information and resources

We live in a world of information overload, with the internet providing a plethora of sources of information on water and climate related issues as a whole. Despite this abundance of information many stakeholders still feel ill-equipped and without adequate tools to understand what is causing water stress or to effectively respond to climate-related issues in their context. The issue relates to the fact most of the information is impenetrable due to sheer volume and complex terminology. Therefore the problem is not the availability of information but its reproduction, adaptation and dissemination. In order for information to be applied to practical action on the ground, it needs to be handled more systematically and made more accessible to local people for productive uses.

Getting the right information to the right people at the right time is critical but a technology doesn’t address the power struggle between rich and poor. Reducing the vulnerability of poor communities to climate change should also focus on the software of people-centred development. Capacity, accountability and responsiveness programmes that support local peoples in their struggle for affordable and adequate clean water will become ever more important under climate change.

Building on local adaptation techniques

Despite immense challenges, communities are adapting to the variable climate at the local level with a number of water-related responses and many interesting and valuable local initiatives. Poor communities in Bangladesh are building sanitation units on raised foundations so that pit latrines are not swept away and to prevent spread of disease during floods. Others are working to improve their local watersheds to reduce the likelihood of floods or droughts and enabling communities to better cope with adverse impact. We need to find ways to strengthen local adaptive capacity, supporting localized approaches and replicating them to scale.

Freshwater Action Network is committed to supporting local civil society organisations to better understand and assess the impact of climate change on their local water resources, to ensure that vulnerable communities understand the risks and develop local capacities to build adaptability.

Key priority areas for action

Broad stakeholder engagement: Local needs should be considered in the development of water-based adaptation strategies. Southern CSOs need to more involved in decision-making and planning.

Dissemination and scaling up positive experiences: Technical and financial support is needed to help develop long term sustainable adaptation solutions, building on local approaches.

Enhancing sharing of best practice: More dialogue, communication and knowledge-sharing between the water and climate change sectors.

Promote greater collaboration in data collection, monitoring and access to information: Climate risk information, where available, should be made widely accessible and used to inform water planning strategies.

Freshwater Action Network Global is a member of the Water and Climate Coalition (WCC), working to ensure that water resources management is placed at the heart of policy responses to climate change.