World Water Development Report 2020 – focus on water and climate change

This year's United Nations World Water Development Report is all about water and climate. It aims to support the water sector in tackling climate change challenges and to inform the climate sector of the opportunities that improved water management offer in the fight against climate change.

The report identifies water as the key area through which societies will or are already experiencing the effects of climate change. Worldwide, climate change is changing the global water cycle in different ways, which affects the availability, the quantity and the quality of global water resources. The consequence of this is that the fulfillment of the human right to water and sanitation is at risk for billions of people. In addition, there are increased risks in the areas of energy production, food security, health, economic development and poverty reduction, which in turn compromises the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The 2020 United Nations World Water Development Report addresses these challenges and identifies opportunities for climate change adaptation, mitigation and improved resilience that can be implemented and achieved through strategies in water management. The report therefore proposes a win-win scenario in which, on the one hand, the water sector contributes to climate change adaptation and mitigation, while at the same time improving global water and sanitation supplies, and minimizing the causes and effects of climate change, e.g. through disaster risk reduction.

Further information and the complete report is available here.