“The word WATER rarely appears in international climate agreements, even though it plays a key role in issues such as food security, energy production, economic development and poverty reduction”, Audrey Azouly, the Director-General of the UNESCO stated in his foreword of the current World Water Development Report. And he urgently appeals: “This potential of water must be explored, given that our actions to reduce global warming are currently lagging behind our ambitions, despite wide adherence to the Paris Agreement”.

On more than 218 pages the new report shows, that water should not be seen as a problem but as part of the solution. In 14 detailed illustrated chapters the authors demonstrate, that water can support efforts to both mitigate and adapt to climate change by wetland protection, conservation agriculture and other nature-based solutions. The key fact: those solutions can help to sequester carbon in biomass and soils.

Published in 2020 by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization

Download: https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000372985.locale=en

ISBN 978-92-3-100371-4