Review and analysis of the global water issues in the context of COP25

Increasing water scarcity and water-related disasters are key challenges of climate change that every continent is facing today. Southeast Asia and Africa where many developing countries are concentrated in are highly vulnerable to the impact of climate change. Especially, countries sharing river basins and located in coastal regions have been experiencing high levels of water stress mainly due to population growth and climate change. According to a recent UN report, it is estimated that more than five billion people could suffer from water shortages by 2050 because of increased water demand and climate change. In most cases, however, these people who live in least developed countries (LDCs), which have high population densities and high dependence on primary industry such as agriculture, forestry and fishing required for continuous water supply and efficient water management systems, have been already suffering from extreme levels of water stress but have less capacity and fewer resources to adapt or cope with this extreme condition. Therefore, in this study, impacts of climate change on the global water resources and water-related disasters were reviewed and analyzed in the context of the UN Climate Change Conference COP25, which was held in Spain from 2 to 13 December 2019 and discussed the most important and sensitive issues with regards to climate change adaptation and greenhouse gas mitigation among invited delegates and participants representing 197 countries.

 

Acknowledgements

This research was carried out as a part of “Development of the Global Water Atlas for responding to climate change project (grant number 20190404-001)” funded by the Ministry of Science and ICT, South Korea.