Water for Planet
Co-Chairs:
Egypt and Japan
Co-Convenors:
UNEP and WMO
Climate, Biodiversity, Desertification, Environment, Source to Sea, Resilience, Disaster Risk Reduction
Context
At the UN 2023 Water Conference, Interactive Dialogue 3 on “Water for Climate, Resilience and Environment”, the fact that the water crisis is exacerbated by climate change was highlighted as an urgent global challenge. With climate change, population growth and increasing disaster risk putting growing pressure on water resources, the need for countries to develop and upgrade resilient water infrastructure and emergency preparedness was emphasised along with the need for integrated water resources management and the integration of water, climate, biodiversity, desertification and environmental policies and plans.
Water solutions are central to tackling global climate, biodiversity, desertification, and environment-related challenges and to building resilient societies and economies. As water is the primary medium through which people experience climate change, the use and effective management of water resources, including groundwater, are fundamental for climate adaptation as well as to manage increased risks from floods, droughts, sea-level rise and accelerated glacier melt. Water management is also central for climate mitigation (e.g. for the clean energy transition and removal of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere). Healthy and functioning freshwater ecosystems are essential for preserving biodiversity, filtering pollutants and nutrients to protect oceans, and serving as carbon sinks. Sustainable groundwater management is critical, with groundwater quantity and quality disrupted by climate change through altered recharge patterns, increased risk of contamination, and accelerated saltwater intrusion.
The proposed theme for this dialogue in 2026 would focus on SDG 6 targets 6.3 (wastewater and water quality) and 6.6 (freshwater ecosystems). It would also build on the connections with SDG 11 (sustainable cities), SDG 13 (climate action), SDG 14 (oceans), and SDG 15 (land).
As of 2024, over 50% of countries report degradation in one or more water-related ecosystem type, with river flow declines recorded in 402 basins and significant surface water loss in 364 basins compared to the average 2000-2019 baseline. Global water quality shows signs of decline, while more than half of the world’s major aquifers are being depleted faster than they can be naturally replenished. Wetlands are among the ecosystems with the highest rates of decline, loss, and degradation, with 85% of wetlands being lost and freshwater species populations declining by 81% since 1970. Nine out of ten disasters triggered by natural hazards during the last decade were waterrelated. The impacts of climate change disrupt freshwater systems through altered precipitation patterns, sea level rise, intensified droughts, and flooding. Sustainable water management is increasingly critical for building resilience against climate change and for climate mitigation and carbon sequestration. Vulnerability to climate change impacts in transboundary basins is increased due to limited cooperation: only 50% of transboundary basins have implemented coordinated or joint alarm systems for floods. Forest loss is impacting freshwater systems through increased soil erosion, reduced water quality, and altered hydrological cycles.
Data and Trends
Challenges
Climate change, population growth and unsustainable consumption are intensifying pressure on water, food, energy and ecological systems. Rising climate variability is driving more frequent and severe water-related disasters, which account for the majority of natural hazards globally. The scale and cost of water-related disasters continue to grow, causing significant losses and damages to people, nature, economic assets and infrastructure. For example, nearly 95% of infrastructure loss from 2010 to 2019 was linked to water-related disasters, over 3 billion people were aYected by droughts and floods since 2000, and current costs of droughts are estimated to exceed $307 billion annually.
Freshwater ecosystems’ ability to buffer climate impacts is being undermined by humaninduced degradation, including deforestation and wetland loss, which exacerbates flooding, landslides and reduces water retention. Up to one-third of rivers in developing countries face serious pollution, while freshwater biodiversity continues to decline. Glacial melt has reached record levels, with the largest losses recorded in the past three years. Water scarcity, pollution and extreme events heighten the risk of pests, disease and long-term environmental degradation, including aridification and desertification, disrupting livelihoods and human health and threatening economic development and food security.
Opportunities
Strengthening climate-resilient water management presents a key opportunity to advance adaptation, mitigation and disaster risk reduction. Universal early warning systems, with prioritization for least developed countries and small island developing states, are essential. Nature-based and hybrid infrastructure solutions offer complementary benefits, enhancing resilience while supporting biodiversity and delivering socioeconomic gains. And source-tosea as well as whole-of-basin approaches offer practical solutions for adaptation and resilience. In addition, agrifood systems are essential for solving major interlinked challenges facing the planet: water scarcity, climate change, biodiversity loss and land degradation, food insecurity and poverty.
Integrated water resources management provides an actionable framework to balance competing water demands across sectors such as agriculture, energy and forestry. Sustainable land-use management and healthy soils are essential for enhancing climate resilience, protecting biodiversity, preventing desertification, and supporting ecosystems from source to sea. Strengthening intergovernmental coordination across climate, water, biodiversity, and desertification processes, can help drive coherent action, including at the country level through Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), National Adaptation Plans (NAPs), National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plans (NBSAPs) and other national strategies.
Stakeholder participation and cross-sectoral exchange of best practices—including between the water and climate communities—are necessary to scale climate-resilient water solutions. And as financing remains a major challenge where global investment needs range from $6.7 trillion by 2030 to $22.6 trillion by 2050 to meet SDG 6 targets water-related climate finance remains limited, representing about 3% of total climate finance. Addressing this gap will require leveraging funding streams across sectors and clearly articulating the multiple co-benefits of water investments.
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