On 28th November 2022, the Australian Water Partnership (AWP) published a new report titled ‘Climate change and water security in the Indo-Pacific region – Risks, responses, and a framework for action’ which is authored by Dr Hemant Ojha, Principal Advisor at Institute for Study and Development Worldwide (IFSD) and Prof Nick Schofield, Founder & Director of Global Future Research.
At present, water insecurity is a global challenge which is continuously being exacerbated by climate change. While every country and region is experiencing water insecurity in different ways, specifically the communities and countries in the Indo-Pacific region are among the ones hit hardest. However, only limited evidence regarding climate risks to water security can be found on the region as not much is know about how different parts of the region is facing and responding to the the impacts of climate change. This is very concerning as water crisis in the Indo-Pacific region is expected to increase with increasing risks of climate change, escalating population growth, high rates of urbanisation, and rapid economic growth.
This comprehensive reports draws insights from more than 600 documents and 13 case studies from 10 countries covering 5 socioecological zones across the Indo-Pacific region to help understand climate risks, assess the current and emerging responses, and provides a framework of action for effectively managing climate risks to water security. The report mainly suggests that risk management should primarily focus on socioecological zones rather than political boundaries because climate risks vary according to these zones.
Full report can be found here.
