Water governance in a changing climate and hydrological cycle

Climate change is rewriting the global water cycle. Rainfall is shifting, droughts and floods are intensifying, soils are drying, glaciers are melting, and groundwater is under pressure. Water is becoming harder to predict — and much harder to manage.

This makes water governance one of the most decisive challenges of our time. Good governance helps societies adapt, protects ecosystems, strengthens economies, and reduces inequality. Weak governance leaves communities exposed and institutions overwhelmed.

This thematic area focuses on how the world can govern water wisely when the climate itself is changing.

Why this matters now

When the water cycle changes, everything else does too: food production, energy systems, cities, economies, ecosystems, and public health. Climate change has made risk the new normal — but governance determines whether that risk becomes crisis or resilience.

Stronger, climate-informed governance is essential to secure water for people and nature, reduce disaster impacts, and keep countries on a sustainable development path.