Introductory guide to water resources and climate change

The IPCC Fifth Assessment Report (AR5) highlights how water is an essential crosscutting theme when addressing climate change. It provides new scientific evidence and a major advance about the likelihood of “a detectable human influence on the global water cycle since 1960”. The author, Ramy Hanna, a doctoral researcher at the Institute of the Development Studies provides a brief snapshot of three key issues relevant to the state of uncertainties around climate change and water resources: complex science, development impacts and the trade-offs between water-energy-food security. A selection of research readings have also been highlighted for each of the above issues.