Climate Change Adaptation in the Water Sector

Today's climate variability already has a large impact on water supply and protection. Millions of people are affected every year by droughts and floods. Future climate change is likely to make things worse. Many people within the water sector are aware that climate change is expected to have serious consequences for water resource management, but they are unsure how to incorporate climate information into their management structures. Providing a compendium of specific strategies, Climate Change Adaptation in the Water Sector is the first book to show students and professionals in the water sector how to adapt to climate change and variability. It enables advanced students, managers, decision-makers and other practitioners to feel comfortable in analysing and using climate data within the water sector. The book consists of two parts: the first describes the general issues and is written mainly by the editors of the book, while the second part contains specific case studies drawn from a wide range of contrasting countries: Australia, Germany, The Netherlands, the Philippines, South Africa, Thailand and Yemen. Published in association with the Co-operative Programme on Water and Climate, NeWater, UNESCO and WATCH (Water and Global Change)

1. Introduction Part I: Climate Change and Water 2. The Art of Predicting Climate Variability and Change 3. Climate Change Scenarios at the Global and Local Scales 4. The Impacts of Climate Change on Water 5. Managing Water under Current Climate Variability 6. Using Seasonal Climate Forecasts for Water Management 7. Adapting to Climate Change in the Water Sector 8. Climate-proofing Part II: Case Studies 9. Adaptation to Climate Change and Social Justice: Challenges for Flood and Disaster Management in Thailand 10. Water and Spatial Planning in The Netherlands: Living with Water in the Context of Climate Change 11. Climate Change and Alluvial Aquifers in Arid Regions: Examples from Yemen 12. A Water Utility's Approach to Addressing the Potential Impacts of Climate Change 13. Adaptation Measures for Metropolitan Water Supply for Perth, Western Australia 14. Benefits and Costs of Measures for Coping with Water and Climate Change: Berg River Basin, South Africa 15. Institutional Adaptation to Climate Change: Current Status and Future Strategies in the Elbe Basin, Germany 16. The Use of Seasonal Climate Forecasts within a Shared Reservoir System: The Case of Angat Reservoir, the Philippines Index

Fulco Ludwig is a member of the Climate Change group of Wageningen University and Research Centre, The Netherlands.

Pavel Kabat is Full Professor and Chair Holder of the Earth System Science and Climate Change Group at Wageningen UR; Science Director of the Co-operative Programme on Water and Climate (CPWC), The Netherlands; and Science Director of the Dutch National Research Programme on Climate Change and Spatial Planning.

Henk van Schaik is the Programme Co-ordinator of CPWC.

Michael van der Valk is a hydrologist and Communication and Information Coordinator for CPWC.