Climate change impacts will have disastrous effects on the world’s water supplies, according to water experts at the United Nations.  In a recent interview with Reuters, Zafar Adeel, the chair of UN-Water, a group which coordinates water-related activities among 26 other U.N. agencies,  warned “the main manifestations of rising temperatures… are about water.”

Because water is so essential for every aspect of human and animal life, there are “potential for conflicts” as water resources grow scarce.  As temperatures rise, it is likely that up to 250 million people could suffer additional water stress by 2020.  Central Asia and Africa are some of the regions most likely to be affected by this stress, and could face increased desertification, flash floods, heat waves as well as increased occurances of water-borne diseases as a result of poor sanitation.  Right now, Adeel said, about 2.8 billion people do not have access to basic sanitation.

Adeel is urging for a stronger focus on water issues in the global dialog of climate change, food security and economic recover.  ”Water is central to each of these debates, but typically isn’t seen as such.”

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