Evolving status of global water resources in a changing climate

More than 80% of the global hazards are water-related. As floods and droughts are becoming more severe and frequent through the impacts of climate change, WMO along with many partners aim to provide globally consistent and interoperable water-related information to empower national and international water management, CC adaptation needs and to catalyse bilateral and multilateral cooperation through trusted, standardized and independent water assessments and outlooks.  

An interconnected global system that helps countries and future generations to understand how the global hydrological cycle is affected by a changing climate and water resources and land management. It will also empower Nation Hydro-meteorological Services and other partners to downscale available and utilise global products and generate local information to achieve optimum quality products. Such capacities are the backbone of Early Warning Systems related to hydrological disasters. Easy to understand consistently presented water information available through portals (and other means) will help in policy and decision-making at various scales – from local farmers and water users to international organisations.  

Therefore, there is a need for building and disseminating water assessments and outlook products to inform planning and policy and decision-making in a changing climate is important than ever. WMO HydroSOS and annual State of Global Water Resources report are key elements to strengthen early warning systems. In this event, we will present and discuss key WMO initiatives for climate-smart decision-making, explore the effect of climate change on hydrology and its impacts from a humanitarian perspective, listen to country case studies and discuss funding mechanisms to bridge existing gaps.