Climate Change and Water

1. Background and motivation The IPCC, in several meetings, have stressed the importance of incorporating water-related issues more fully in to IPCC work. According to many experts, water and its availability and quality will be the main pressures, and issues, on societies and the environment under climate change. 2. Main Objectives The IPCC Technical Paper on Climate Change and Water (TPCCW) seeks to improve our understanding of the links of both natural and anthropogenically induced climate change, its impacts, and adaptation and mitigation response options, with water issues. In particular, it will inform policy makers and stakeholders about the implications of climate change and climate change response options for water resources, as well as the implications of water resources for climate change and climate change response options, including associated synergies and tradeoffs. The scope of the TPCCW will be an evaluation of the impacts of climate variability and change on hydrological processes and regimes, and on water resources - their use, quality and management. Relatively little on the hydrology dimension will be included except to highlight the most significant new scientific results. The TPCCW will focus on implications for water resources without and with planned adaptation. Swiss Participant at the Scoping Meeting was Thomas Stocker. Timetable (tentative) The work plan for the production of the TPCCW has to be closely coordinated with the work plan for the 4th IPCC Assessment Report (AR4) since the TPCCW is based on material contained in the water-related chapters of the three working groups. The authors will be selected primarily from the author list of the related chapters of the AR4. Search for Convening Lead Authors and Lead Authors: 3rd quarter 2005 Publication: Early 2008 The decision to go ahead with the Technical Paper will be made in November 2003.