Urban Water Systems and Agriculture in a Changing Climate – two reports

Adapting urban water systems to climate change

ICLEI, UNESCO-IHE and IWA have authored, as part of the ‘SWITCH – Managing Water for the City of the Future’ project, a handbook on adapting urban water systems to climate change. The handbook aims to fill a gap in the adaptation field: while a lot of information is available about various adaptation topics, there is a lack of guidance for decision makers at the local level working on urban water who wish to proactively prepare for and adapt to climate change.

Key messages  (from the report)

 

• Adaptation is not new – city and water managers are used to dealing with uncertainty and change.
• Adaptation can help improve quality of life and the functioning of urban systems – cities should  capitalise on the benefits that adaptation can offer.
• Adapting to climate change can happen at different scales, from the household level through to major infrastructure – no matter the scale, what is important is to take action now.
• The urban water system is highly vulnerable to climate change – without foresight and strategic  planning, the consequences can be severe.
• It is often the most vulnerable people that bear the brunt of climate change – urban water system  responses to climate change must take their needs into account.
• Climate change will not always happen in a gradual or linear way – cities have to be prepared to  deal with the possibility of abrupt change.
• Cooperation with researchers and local experts is essential – decision makers need their expertise  to better grasp the implications of uncertainty and take effective action.
• The urban water cycle cannot be adapted in isolation – the close linkages between urban systems  such as energy, transport and health require integrated management.
• Sound water management needs to take all pressures on water systems into account – including  those unrelated to climate change such as population growth, land use changes and pollution.
• Many cities are adaptation champions – other cities can learn from their experience and take action themselves.

 

Report available here:

 

• http://www.iwahq.org/1pr/themes/water-climate-and-energy/climate-change-adaptation/adaptation-handbook.html/

 

 

Climate Change, water and food security

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) has released a report titled "Climate Change, Water and Food Security," which is a survey of existing scientific knowledge on the anticipated consequences of climate change for water use in agriculture. The report highlights the likelihood of increased water scarcity in the Mediterranean region, as well as semi-arid areas of the Americas, Australia, and Southern Africa.

“Climate change will impact the extent and productivity of both irrigated and rainfed agriculture across the globe. Reductions in river runoff and aquifer recharge are expected in the Mediterranean basin and in the semi-arid areas of the Americas, Australia and southern Africa, affecting water availability in regions that are already water-stressed. In Asia, the large contiguous areas of irrigated land that rely on snowmelt and high mountain glaciers for water will be affected by changes in runoff patterns, while highly populated deltas are at risk from a combination of reduced inflows, increased salinity and rising sea levels. Everywhere, rising temperatures will translate into increased crop water demand.

 

Both the livelihoods of rural communities and the food security of a predominantly urban population are therefore at risk from water-related impacts linked primarily to climate variability.”

Report available here:

 

• http://climate-l.iisd.org/news/fao-releases-survey-on-water-scarcity-and-food-production/?referrer=climate-change-daily-feed&utm_source=lists.iisd.ca&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Climate+Change+Daily+Feed+-+13+June+2011+-+Climate+Change+Policy+%26+Practice