There is no doubt that the water cycle is an essential part of the climate, and any climate change has consequences for the water cycle and vice versa. The cross-cutting nature of water enables it to convey many of the impacts of climate change to society.
The different climate change scenarios foreseen affect all living beings and, more directly, human beings, especially their current way of life. This situation will be aggravated by the expected growth of the world population and the current pattern of development. It is not a matter of saving the earth but saving ourselves, other living beings, and our lifestyle.
This task entails, among others, the adoption of mitigation and adaptation measures in which engineers and engineering play an important role.
In order to identify alternatives for climate change adaptation that engineers and engineering can contribute in the field of water, the WFEO Working Group on Water (transferred to a Standing Technical Committee during the WFEO General Assembly in March 2022) has drafted the report “Adaptation to Climate Change: Water and Engineering”, available in this link. Throughout this paper, experiences, examples, and good practices of adaptation that engineering has provided in the field of water are also described.
The adaptation measures described are the result of the cross-cutting nature of different engineering disciplines, which have been able to adapt scientific knowledge to the needs of society and the environment. These actions will make it possible to cooperate in achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. A Development that must be not only sustainable but also intelligent and inclusive.
For more information:
“Adaptation to Climate Change: Water and Engineering” report
WFEO Working Group on Water website
MAR
2022