• There is evidence that the global climate is changing.
• Water is the primary medium through which climate change impacts the earth’s ecosystem and people.
• Climate change is the fundamental driver of change in the world’s water resources and adds additional stress through its effects on other externalities.
• Human activities affect demand on the world’s water supply, which in turn, impact on climate change.
• Water resource management impacts almost all aspects of the economy, in particular, health, food production and security, domestic water supply and sanitation, energy, industry and environmental sustainability.
• Climate variability, water resource management and economic development are intricately linked.
• Vulnerability to natural disasters affecting the water supply hampers economic performance and undermines poverty reduction goals and achievement of the MDGs.

The section “Did You Know…?” is taken from the United Nations World Water Assessment (WWAP) Special Report “Climate Change and Water: An overview from the World Water Development Report 3: Water in a Changing World“.

Source: http://www.unesco.org/