Climate Change and Water: An Annex to the USAID Climate-Resilient Development Framework

This annex to the USAID Climate-Resilient Development Framework gives water managers and development practitioners a summary of climate vulnerability and change and the challenges it poses for freshwater resources and development.
           
Adequate, safe, and reliable freshwater is an essential foundation for society and development. Projections of climate variability and change indicate significant impacts to freshwater resources from higher temperatures, changing precipitation patterns, sea level rise and more intense extreme events like heat waves, droughts and floods. These impacts can be summarized as having too much water, too little water and degraded water quality.

The report provides 10 strategies for adapting to climate and non-climate stressors. These include:

• Increasing or strengthening water capture and storage
• Reducing water loss
• Creating new water sources
• Water demand management
• Protecting water quality
• Flood protection measures
• Protecting inland freshwater ecosystems
• Managing interdependencies between energy and water
• Strengthening water governance           

Download report.