Lead Organizier: Future Earth Global Secretariat Hub China
Co-organizer： Future Earth Chinese National Committee, China Association for Science and Technology, Working Group for UN Environment Consultation Secretariat, School of Atmosphere Science, Sun Yat-sen University
主办：未来地球计划全球秘书中心（中国）
协办：未来地球计划中国委员会
中国科学技术协会联合国咨商环境专委会
中山大学大气科学学院
September. 11 2023
The hydrosphere is an essential component in the Earth's climate system and has important interactions with other spheres. It is also one of the most vulnerable areas affected by climate change. Accelerating global warming and associated changes in vegetation and soil have disturbed the water cycle through atmospheric water transition, surface water process, soil water storage, and groundwater movement process, thus affect the temporal and spatial evolution of the water resource. At the same time, as the temperature rises, the stability of the water cycle decreases, leading to an increase in the frequency of drought and flood disasters. Climate change and human activities also have profoundly affected the water resource in terms of water supply, water demand, and the allocation and dispatch of water. The shortage of fresh water resources, expansion of subtropical arid regions, and the frequent occurrence of extreme drought and flood disasters that are closely related to changes in the water cycle seriously constrain the sustainable development of ecosystems and human society. In this context, it becomes increasingly important to assess the impact of climate change and human activities on water resources, and design effective strategy to tackle the challenge in water resource in a changing climate. Therefore, we propose to organize a special session at the XVIII World Water Congress, entitled “Tackling challenges in water resource in a changing climate”, by inviting scientists from multidisciplinary research areas to discuss the following topics: (1) Impact of climate change on global water resources (2) New theories and scientific methods of water resources assessment (3) Strategy and countermeasures to tackle future challenge in water resources This special session well aligns the Topic 2 “Promoting Water Efficiency, Productivity and Services” of the XVIII World Water Congress. We believe that this special session will provide new theories, methods, projections, and strategy for tackling challenges in water resource in a changing climate.