Water, Climate Change, and Adaptation

Author(s): Heather R. Hosterman, Peter G. McCornick, Elizabeth J. Kistin, Anju Pant, Bharat Sharma and Luna Bharati

Published: August 2009

download: working paper (.pdf) >

Human-induced climate change has wide-ranging and complex impacts on water resources in South Asia and throughout the world. The impacts of climate change through water will also be felt across  inherently linked sectors of ecosystems, agriculture, energy, and human health. Strategies for adaptation to  climatic variation and other changing circumstances may decrease the adverse effects of climate change,  while capitalizing on the opportunities presented by these changes (Smit et al. 2000; Carter et al. 1994). To  date, however, water resources have not been adequately addressed in the development of adaptation  strategies (Bates et al. 2008).

This working paper explores the intersection between water management, climate change, and  adaptation in the Ganges River system, a basin vital to the security, economy, and environment of South Asia.  Recognizing that an understanding of both the science and the policy of water management, climate change, and  adaptation is rapidly evolving, it is not our intention to encompass all the issues related to these broad fields,  but rather to provide a starting framework from which to further develop research questions and  priorities for work in water and adaptation. As such, the aim of the paper is to advance the understanding of key  issues in this critical basin and to identify strategies for improving water management and adaptation.

In meeting this goal, Section 2 provides an overview of water resources and changing circumstances  in the Ganges basin. Section 3 takes an in-depth look at the experienced and anticipated impacts of climate  change through water on ecosystems, agriculture, energy, and health in the region. Section 4 examines  institutional mechanisms in place for water governance within the basin as well as commitments by each country government to adaptation. Section 5 proposes strategies for improving water and adaptation, and  Section 6 discusses five key barriers to the development and implementation of adaptation strategies.