The planet’s fresh water resources are directly threatened by the effects of climate change, warns the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in its ‘Technical paper on climate change and water’, published in April 2008 ⁽¹⁾. According to the report, every region in the world will be affected in one way or another by increasing incidents of torrential rains and floods or droughts, with the serious repercussions these events will have for people and ecosystems.

Precipitation increased significantly in the 20th century in high northern latitudes but has decreased between 10° South and 30° North since the 1970s. Water storage in mountain glaciers and northern hemisphere snow cover have decreased appreciably. Climate simulations for the 21st century project increased precipitation in high latitudes and parts of the tropics and decreases in some subtropical and dry areas of mid-latitude regions. Many semi-arid and arid regions – such as the Mediterranean basin, the western United States, southern Africa and north-eastern Brazil – will be particularly exposed to the impacts of climate change and are projected to experience a decrease of water resources as a result. The EU needs to react to ensure its own needs and to be ready to present a credible offer of assistance to the most vulnerable countries at the United Nations Climate Conference in Copenhagen, in December 2009.