Water and climate change are inextricably linked. Climate change is affecting the world's water in complex ways. From unpredictable rainfall to shrinking ice sheets, rising sea levels, floods and droughts, most of the impacts of climate change are related to water. water ( UN Water ).

Climate change is exacerbating both water scarcity and water-related risks (such as floods and droughts) as rising temperatures disrupt precipitation patterns and the entire water cycle ( UNICEF ).

More facts about climate and water can be found below.
Lack of water

• About two billion people worldwide today do not have access to safe drinking water ( SDG Report 2022 ) and roughly half of the world's population suffers from severe water shortages for at least part of the year ( IPCC ) These numbers are expected to increase, exacerbated by climate change and population growth ( WMO ).
• Only 0.5 percent of the water on Earth is usable and accessible freshwater – and climate change is dangerously affecting this supply. Over the past two decades, the amount of terrestrial water – including soil moisture, snow and ice – has been decreasing at a rate of 1 cm per year, with major implications for water security ( WMO ).
• Water reserves stored in glaciers and snowpack are projected to decline further over the century, reducing water availability during warm and dry periods in regions supplied by meltwater from large mountain ranges, where more than one-sixth of the world's population currently lives ( IPCC ).
• Sea level rise is predicted to increase groundwater salinization, reducing the availability of freshwater for people and ecosystems in coastal areas ( IPCC ).
• Limiting global warming to 1.5°C compared to 2°C would roughly halve the projected proportion of the world's population experiencing water scarcity, although there is considerable variability between regions (IPCC ) .
• Climate change is also affecting water quality, as higher water temperatures and more frequent floods and droughts are projected to exacerbate many forms of water pollution – from sediments to pathogens and pesticides (IPCC ) .
• Climate change, population growth and increasing water scarcity will put pressure on food supplies ( IPCC ), since most of the freshwater consumed, on average about 70 percent, is used in agriculture (2,000 to 5,000 liters of water are needed to produce one person's daily food) ( FAO ).