The Anatomy of A Silent Crisis The Anatomy of A Silent Crisis

40 Forum 2009: Climate Change – The Anatomy of a Silent Crisis
“ Humanity will face major water challenges in the next
few decades in certain regions of the world related to
the impacts of climate change and rapidly growing
human demands for water. However, the picture
may be less bleak than widely portrayed — if overall
water resources are managed better, future food
crises could be significantly reduced.”
Johan Rockström — Executive Director, Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) and
Stockholm Resilience Centre
Water: Climate change exacerbates already shrinking fresh water availability
Freshwater supply and quality are strongly affected by climate change
As the climate warms, it changes the nature of global rainfall, evaporation, snow, stream flow
and other factors that affect water supply and quality. 116 Freshwater resources are highly sensitive
to variations in weather and climate. Climate change is projected to affect water availability.
Growing evidence suggests that it speeds up the water cycle, which can bring longer droughts
and more intense periods of rain. 117,118 This makes wet regions even wetter and arid areas drier. 118
In areas where the amount of water in rivers and streams depends on snow melting, warmer
temperatures increase the fraction of precipitation falling as rain rather than as snow, causing the
annual spring peak in water runoff to occur earlier in the year. 116 This can lead to an increased
likelihood of winter flooding and reduced late summer river flows. 117 Rising sea levels cause
saltwater to enter into fresh underground water and freshwater streams. This reduces the amount
the amount of freshwater available for drinking and farming. Warmer water temperatures also affect
water quality and accelerate water pollution. 116
Climate change makes water scarce and unfit for human consumption today and exacerbates
unsustainable water use by farming sector in many water scarce regions
Over 1.3 billion people worldwide are “water stressed,” 119 meaning they are facing extreme water
scarcity. 120 Chronic shortages of freshwater are likely to threaten food production, reduce sanitation,
hinder economic development and damage ecosystems. 121 Because of this, water scarcity and
reduced quality pose problems that threaten the very survival of those affected. For example,
changes in water quantity and quality directly affect food availability. Too little water decreases food