IPCC Technical Paper VI: Climate Change and Water...Now, For the Good News

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has just released its Technical Paper VI, Climate Change and Water.

Here is the Executive Summary:

Download executive-summary.pdf

So what is the good news? Well, here's the first sentence of the Executive Summary:

Observational records and climate projections provide abundant evidence that freshwater resources are vulnerable and have the potential to be strongly impacted by climate change, with wide-ranging consequences for human societies and ecosystems.

Here are a few bullets:

• There are knowledge gaps in terms of observations and research needs related to climate change and water.
  
• Integrated demand-side and supply-side strategies should be part of adaptation options designed to ensure water supply during average and drought conditions.
  
• Water resources management clearly impacts on many other policy areas.
  

• Globally, the negative impacts of climate change on freshwater systems are expected to outweigh the benefits.

• Hydrologic stationarity is likely no longer a useful concept.

• Current water management practices may not be robust enough to cope with the impacts of climate change.

• By 2050 or so, high-latitude and some wet-tropical areas will see increasing average stream runoff and water availability; the converse will be true in the dry tropics and some mid-latitude dry regions.

• Food availability, stability, access, and utilization will be affected.

I was hoping the paper would tell me something I don't know, but it looks like my luck has run out.

"May you live in interesting times." -- Chinese curse

Comments

[Michael]

Hi, David.

Release more research money? The Feds will bail out mismanaged financial institutions and insurance companies before that'll occur....

Alas, hope springs eternal!

[David Zetland]

"would tell me something I don't know...."

LOL! Hey -- they aren't as up to date as (we) bloggers :) OTOH, now that it's in print, maybe policy makers (who don't hate IPCC) will release some research $$, right? :)