The impacts of climate change affect water resources throughout operations

Climate change has unprecedented impacts on the hydrological cycle and on water availability that vary with time and space. Climate change can affect water availability (both too much and too little), delay seasonal patterns and trends, intensify weather events and raise seawater levels.

This can influence business costs through the price of water inputs, the effect on crop harvests and the disruptions caused by more frequent extreme weather events.

What can businesses do?

Businesses need a comprehensive and grounded understanding of their landscapes and contexts for raw material sourcing. This can inform where water dependencies lie and how these interlink with other natural and social resources in order to anticipate and manage risks related to water quantity and quality. Investing in long-term climate change mitigation infrastructure and interventions must become a business priority. Climate change adaptation and mitigation measures to safeguard water dependencies, while being fundamental, must also consider landscapes and interdependencies between natural capital elements.