Water resources affected by climate changes
The group II reports (impacts, adaptation and vulnerability) released by the "Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change" (IPCC) in April 2007 states that climate changes from global warming etc. will greatly impact water resources of regions. By the middle of this century, annual average river flow rates and water availability will increase by 10 to 40% in high latitude regions and some humid tropical areas, while they will decrease by 10 to 30% in medium latitude regions and dry / dry tropical areas. In medium latitude regions and semi-dry low latitude regions, water availability will decrease and drought will increase, causing serious water shortages for several hundred millions of people.
Responding to international Water Resources Problems
International agreement on the world water problem
At present, 1.1 billion people in the world cannot have access to safe drinking water, while 2.6 billion people do not have adequate sanitary facilities. In the United Nations Millennium Summit of 2000 and Johannesburg Summit of 2002, the Millennium Development Goals (MGDs) were established for reducing these figures by half by 2015.
Furthermore, the Johannesburg Summit Implementation plan dictates that Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) and water efficiency plans are formulated especially in developing countries and also in all other countries.
International Efforts
International efforts for solving water problems were expressly made for the first time in the United Nations Water Conference held at Mar del Plata, Argentina in 1977. Later on, it was decided to proclaim the decade from 1981 to 1990 as the International Drinking Water and Sanitation Decade, while Agenda 21 of the United Nations Conference of Environment and Development, held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 1992, stated the goal of protecting the quality and supply of freshwater resources. Moreover, in 1993, in order to follow up the Earth Summit, "Water/Sanitation/Human settlements" were set as major challenges in 2004 (12th session of the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development: CSD 12), 2005 (13th session of the same commission: CSD 13), and "written resolutions" concerning activities such as policy options and implementation plans were formulated. In 2008 (16th session of the same committee: CSD16), water and sanitation and details of interactive matters are scheduled to be monitored and followed.
Furthermore, in the United Nations General Assembly, it was resolved to proclaim the period from 2005 to 2015 as the "International Decade on Water for Life", and it was also resolved in December 2006 to declare the year 2008 "The International Year of Sanitation" to raise people's awareness of sanitation concerning lavatories and sewage disposal, where sluggish improvement has been pointed out, under Japan’s initiative.
In order to resolve international water problems, it is necessary for not only governments and international agencies but also people from various backgrounds to make concerted efforts. For this purpose, the World Water Council (WWC) was established in 1996 by governments, international agencies, academic representatives, corporations and NGOs to serve as a think tank that comprehensively handles water issues. The World Water Council holds the World Water Forum (WWF) every three years as part of its activity.
The First, Second and Third World Water Forums were hosted in Morocco in 1997, the Netherlands in 2000 and Japan in 2003 respectively. The Fourth is scheduled to be held in Mexico in 2006.