Introduction
Climate change is fundamentally a water crisis: it is altering the entire hydrological cycle, making water more scarce, more unpredictable and more polluted through intensifying floods, droughts, glacier melt, sea-level rise and water‑related disasters that threaten ecosystems, economies and societies alike.1 These growing climate‑related water risks cut across river basins, aquifers, deltas, cities, farms, industries and energy systems, amplifying existing vulnerabilities and forcing ever tougher choices about how water is allocated between people, food, energy, nature and the economy.2 Complicating the issue, different human induced influences on climate and nature, such as greenhouse gas driven warming, deforestation and land use change, and air pollution, are all affecting the hydrological cycle and water availability, but often with different patterns across regions, seasons and risk factors. At the same time, water is increasingly recognised as a “climate connector” and lever for resilience, because integrated, sustainable water management can simultaneously drive climate adaptation, reduce disaster risk, safeguard water‑dependent carbon sinks and enable low‑carbon, climate‑resilient development across sectors and scales.3 In this context, cross‑sector partnerships on water—linking climate, environment, agriculture, energy, cities, finance, and social sectors—are indispensable to convert water‑related risks into opportunities for systemic climate resilience in line with the Paris Agreement, the 2030 Agenda and emerging water‑climate initiatives.4
Objective
The objective is to co-create actionable pathways for cross-sector partnerships that advance water security in a climate-resilient world. Specifically, the Dialogue seeks to surface innovative models of multi-stakeholder and multi-level collaboration that deliver resilient water services, protect ecosystems and enhance climate adaptation and mitigation; to raise awareness of the multiple interconnecting pathways linking human influences on natural systems to changes in water availability; to identify governance, regulatory, and financing reforms such as shared-risk public–private arrangements and climate-resilient investment frameworks that can be scaled and replicated; and to align national and local partnership platforms with global commitments under SDGs, the Paris Agreement, regional water–climate frameworks, and upcoming COP30 water and climate agendas.
For more details please contact –
Ms. Shweta Tyagi
Chief Functionary
India Water Foundation
Email: shweta.tyagi@indiawaterfoundation.org
Mobile: +91 9899819074