how can these reductions be made fairly and equitably across nations with varying responsibilities and capabilities.

Fast-forward to 2050. If the world's leaders have failed to reach an adequate climate change agreement and carbon emissions continue at business as usual scenarios, people all over the world will be feeling the impacts of climate change. Even with the most ambitious agreement, there will still be some unavoidable impacts due to the 'time-lag' in emissions scenarios. The nature of these impacts will vary globally, but they will all share one thing in common – the medium through which these impacts will be felt is water. Either too much (floods), too little (scarcity and droughts) or reduced quality (e.g. saline intrusion through sea-level rise).

This is why the global climate challenge is to a great extent a global water challenge. The IPCC predicts that by 2020, between 75 and 250 million people are projected to be exposed to increased water stress due to climate change. The IPCC also states with high confidence that current water management practices are very likely to be inadequate to reduce the negative impacts of climate change on water supply reliability, flood risk, health, energy, and aquatic ecosystems. Importantly, climate change impacts on water resources will aggravate the impacts of other stresses – such as population growth, urbanization and changed economic activity. Given the current pace of the negotiations and the increasing elusiveness of a deal, it would seem to be wise to turn attention to how we are likely to address what looks like an inevitable and imminent global water crisis.

Yet water does not feature very prominently in the climate change debate. Negotiations on adaptation do not specifically highlight the importance of building resilience through water management, neither do discussions on mitigation recognize the role of water for the long-term sustainability of much renewable energy production, or for forest health. There seems to be a reluctance to refer to particular 'sectors', and where sectors are acknowledged or recognized, the onus is more likely to be placed on agriculture, forests and land-use. This is understandable given the mitigation potential of all these sectors. But what is forgotten is that water underpins them all. When the impacts of climate change start to be felt, and the imperative for mitigation becomes more acute, the way we manage our water – both nationally and internationally – will be the deciding factor in our ultimate survival.

It is crucial therefore that we bring water to the climate negotiating table. One of the most vocal initiatives calling for this is the Water and Climate Coalition – a global coalition of actors promoting the integration of water and climate policy on a global level. As part of its advocacy the Coalition is calling for the establishment of a work programme on water under the Convention, as a 'space' to address water and climate issues and discuss the necessary actions to both build resilience to climate change through water resources, and respond to climate-induced water hazards. The proposed work programme has five functions or elements – a Discourse element, to advance the global policy discourse on water and climate at a global level; a Principles element, to establish guiding and normative global principles on water and climate; a Finance element, to provide expert advice on water and climate priorities to the Convention funds; an Implementation element, to build capacity for the implementation of water and climate objectives globally; and a Coherence element, to promote synergies between and advance implementation of other multilateral agreements that build resilience through water.

The way we deal with and manage water – as a resource and as a hazard – represents one of the greatest challenges posed by climate change. The risk of not addressing water at the earliest possible stage is too great to allow for complacency. A work programme on water under the UNFCCC will not be able to solve everything, but it is a good place to start.

For more information on the Water and Climate Coalition please visit www.waterclimatecoalition.org, or contact Hannah Stoddart, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it