Hi!!!EVERYONE!!

LONG LONG TIME NO SEE!!!

I MISSED EVERYONE A LOT!!

HOW ARE YOU GUYS THESE DAYS?????

Climate change is changing our assumptions about water resources. As climate change warms the atmosphere and alters the hydrological cycle, we will continue to witness changes to the amount, timing, form, and intensity of precipitation and the flow of water in watersheds, as well as the quality of aquatic and marine environments. These changes are also likely to affect the programs designed to protect the quality of water resources and public health and safety.

Climate change has been recognized by the UN Security Council for its security implications (United Nations Department of Public Information, 2011), with water being the medium through which climate change will have the most effects. Similarly, by including water security on its agenda, the UN Security Council will formally recognize the direct implications of water on human security issues: either as a trigger, a potential target, a contributing factor or as contextual information. Such recognition would acknowledge that water is in itself a security risk that acknowledging water insecurity could act as a preventative measure for regional conflicts and tensions and that water security could contribute to achieving increased regional peace and security in the long term.

Climate change impacts will have direct consequences for water security, which will vary according to geographic location. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) points towards a great vulnerability of freshwater resources as a result of climate change, with severe consequences for economic, social and ecological systems (IPCC, 2008 IPCC, 2012). The effect on water security will differ regionally and will depend upon a number of factors, including geographic location and features, conditions of water availability and utilization, demographic changes, existing management and allocation systems, legal frameworks for water management, existing governance structures and institutions, and the resilience of ecosystems.

A majority of impacts from climate change will be on the water cycle, resulting in higher climatic and hydrological variability, with important consequences for societies and their water security. The IPCC (2012) expects an increased incidence of droughts due to decreasing trends in precipitation in some areas, while others will see an increasing incidence of floods and other extreme events such as cyclones due to increasing trends in precipitation intensity.

Similarly, increased risk of water supplies or increased risk of sea-level rise will follow the melting of glaciers, while increased temperature and saltwater intrusion from rising sea levels will compromise water quality. Rainfall variability alone could push more than 12 million people into absolute poverty (World Bank, 2006), while climate change could increase global malnutrition by up to 25% by 2080 (Fischer et al., 2002).

Changes in the hydrological cycle will threaten existing water infrastructure, making societies more vulnerable to extreme water-related events and resulting in increased insecurity. As witnessed by hurricane Sandy on the north-eastern coast of the United States in late 2012, extreme water events can increase water insecurity by affecting the functioning and operation of water infrastructure, including hazard protection, storage and delivery capacity, and pollution and wastewater management. Poor and marginalized communities can be even more affected, yet have much less capacity to adequately cope due to underlying factors such as environmental mismanagement, rapid and unplanned urbanization in hazardous areas, and failed governance (IPCC, 2012).

Ensuring water security in the face of climate change can be achieved through appropriate adaptation measures. Climate change impacts, combined with social, political and governance factors, will generate new or exacerbate existing water insecurities as availability, supply and demand of freshwater resources are increasingly affected (UN-Water, 2010). Adaptation options, innovative thinking, and more use of traditional knowledge are urgently needed in order to reduce water insecurity. UN-Water (2010) has made recommendations in this direction, addressing issues of governance and knowledge generation, among others.