Climate change and the water futures: An overview

Abstract

Water is one sector witnessing depletion and degradation due to the increasing frequency and intensity of extreme climate-related events such as droughts, heatwaves, and flooding. These events have been consistently increasing with the corresponding change in climate. These developments have compromised the water and sanitation initiatives to achieve sustainability in the sector by 2030. This chapter provides an introductory context and highlights the brevity and enormity of climate change in South Africa, highlighting common areas of interest and the need for resilient response to sustain the water sector. The recurrence of droughts caused by the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) continues to devastate the country, affecting poor households and the environment. Although South Africa is classified as food secure at national level, over 40% of households remain food insecure, a situation that requires immediate policy interventions to enhance resilience and meet the 2030 global agenda on sustainable development. This science brief, therefore, advocates for site-specific diagnoses of climate change impacts starting at a local scale, which will ultimately lead to practical solutions that will increase resilience and adaptive capacity.

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