Water is vital for drinking, cooking and cleaning, for food production and industrial activities, for energy generation, for maintaining entire ecosystems, and of course for sanitation and human health. Yet increasing demand and environmental changes exert pressure on the Earth’s freshwater resources. The World Economic Forum for example believes that water crises are the most impactful risk in the future. Clashes over access to and the management of scarce water resources pose real risks to peace and security. The GCSP’s new strategic security brief “Water Security, Conflict and Cooperation” sheds light on rising water stress, the conflict risks, and on potential ways to improve cooperation across borders to manage water sustainably.
Read more on water diplomacy and transboundary river basin management here.
