Preparing to adapt: the untold story of water in climate change adaptation processes
The Global Water Partnership (GWP) has launched a report at the Katowice Climate Change Conference, analyzing water-related actions that countries have included in their nationally determined contributions (NDCs). The report gives a summary of findings from the NDCs, and highlights opportunities for action with regard to SDG target 6.5 on implementing integrated water resource management (IWRM) at all levels by 2030. GWP’s analysis of NDCs shows that more than 80% of water-stressed countries do not prioritize IWRM. The report titled, ‘Preparing to Adapt: The Untold Story of Water in Climate Change Adaptation Processes,’ finds that while most countries have prioritized some form of water management and institution building, just over one-third actually refer to IWRM in their NDCs. Many countries – around 60-70% – prioritize infrastructure and institutional measures such as water pricing, while fewer than 20% mention groundwater, and urban and wastewater management.
