In a statement addressed to global representatives negotiating a replacement for the Kyoto Protocol, conference participants agreed that "water is a key medium through which climate change impacts will be felt and it is therefore central to planning and adaptation surrounding climate change".
The interconnected nature of water in economic, social and environmental issues is highlighted in the document, which insists that a firm and fair agreement is "crucial in order to secure future water resource availability". This opinion reinforces an earlier message sent to world leaders at the World Water Forum meeting in March (EurActiv 20/03/09).
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) predicts that by 2030, 47% of world population will be living in areas of high water stress, if no further action is taken.
In the conference's opening address, Gunilla Carlsson, Swedish minister for international development cooperation, said that adaptation to climate change was particularly important in developing countries, as they are "more dependent on and exposed to the vagaries of the weather".
Sweden, current holder of the EU presidency, is putting adaptation to climate change high on the agenda of the upcoming UN Climate Conference in Copenhagen in December this year, Carlsson said, adding that "the hydrological cycle is an integral part of the climate system" and that "adaptation therefore naturally evolves around water".
The EU has begun to shift its focus on the issue of climate change adaptation to put more emphasis on water policies, but has previously been criticised for lacking a global vision on the subject (Euractiv 06/04/09).
An example of action within the EU comes from Italy's Emilia-Romagna region, which has taken various water management initiatives of the River Po. Remo Tavernari, policy officer at the region's representation in Brussels, told EurActiv that the river basin "has experienced a dramatic water-decrease since 2003".
In response, enhanced cooperation between the different institutions and economic sectors involved has allowed Emilia Romagna to put "monitoring, conservation and water-demand control amongst its priorities" and a "more proactive, preventive approach" at the centre of its river basin management.
The Stockholm experts also emphasise the importance of more research into the vulnerability of water resources to climate change and additional funding to support the development of adaptive strategies for vulnerable groups and eco-systems.
On the controversial topic of who should bear the cost of climate change in terms of prevention and adaptation, the conference argued for the initial financing of vulnerable, low-income countries to mitigate effects already underway. It underlined this should then be followed up by the establishment of a "well-resourced mechanism for funding adaptation as part of ongoing climate negotiations".
