Water World: Why the global climate challenge is a global water challenge

February 19, 2010

As part of the GPPN project, a joint initiative between Stakeholder Forum and the Stockholm International Water Institute, we launched a new report for Copenhagen to make the case for water as a critical consideration for climate change in the broader context of the UNFCCC, up to and beyond COP15.

It has taken the six themes that were covered during the Water Day on 3rd November during the UNFCCC negotiations in Barcelona, addressing water as a cross-cutting consideration in response to climate change: Water and Livelihoods, Water and Land, Water and Trans-boundary Resource Management, Water and Water and Energy, and Water and Gender.

This report intends to provide a briefing of some of the critical considerations in each of these areas, identifying key messages and why they are relevant to the UNFCCC.

It also provides a helpful resource for decision-makers and negotiators as they begin to elaborate details on a shared vision and co-ordinated response to the climate change challenge.

The GPPN was disappointed to see all water references cut from the adaptation text for COP15 ahead of the negotiations in Barcelona in November 2009. Non-Paper 31, which was the adaptation text prepared for that meeting, deleted many of the helpful references to water that had been included until that point. Since then, Non-Paper 41 and Non-Paper 53 have reinserted some limited references to water resources. However, the language could be strengthened considerably, and we hope this report helps to make the case for that, as well as urging for a greater profile for water issues under the UNFCCC beyond COP15. It seeks to demonstrate that the global climate challenge is a global water challenge.