Financing Climate Change Adaptation in Transboundary Basins

2 Financing Climate Change Adaptation in Transboundary Basins TABLE 1.1. Observed Climate Change Impacts Physical systems Biological systems Human and managed systems Glaciers, snow, ice, permafrost Rivers, lakes, floods, or drought Coastal erosion or sea level variation effects Terrestrial ecosystems (e.g., forests, grasslands, lakes, river basins) Marine ecosystems Food production Livelihoods Health Economies Specific climate change impacts Water resource impacts a : increased variability; changes in water availability; decline in water quality; unpredictability; flooding; drought Weather irregularity (storage and infra- structure needs) Coastal impacts: erosion of beaches, inundated coastlines; forced migration; coastal ecosystem productivity and via- bility; marine ecosystem deterioration Biodiversity impacts a : loss of land and water habitats and species; shifts in ecological zones; forest ecosystem composition disruption such as wild- fires; geographic range change Agriculture and land impacts a : crop yield decrease from increased temperatures, droughts, and floods; increased irrigation demands; insufficient grazing lands or water for animals; food insecurity Health impacts: sickness and mortality from increased infectious diseases; weather-related sick- ness and mortality; air quality respiratory disease Socio-political impacts a : transboundary migration due to water and food stress; increased conflict over land and water resources; economic vulnerability a. Issues of particular relevance in transboundary river basins, with upstream and downstream consequences. them (Paisley and Henshaw 2013). Considering the number of people who will be affected and the extent of the impacts on life, food security, homes, and biodi- versity, a focus on building resilience in transboundary basins to the imminent negative impacts of climate change is increasingly urgent—especially as pressure and competition over water resources increase with continued global population growth. Climate change is only one of many challenges facing transboundary basins. Political borders that transect a basin make addressing issues that transcend those boundaries—such as water scarcity, flooding, migra- tion, health epidemics, and other environmental or social issues—more difficult to address in a coherent, integrated manner. As a result, there is often a correla- tion between complex hydrological conditions and poverty, as is evidenced in Sub-Saharan Africa, which also has the highest proportion of shared fresh water globally, challenging climate conditions, and the world’s highest levels of poverty. Building resilience to climate change in a transboundary context needs to be viewed within the broader framework of addressing water resource management (World Bank 2017a). With climate change as an added challenge, cooperative solutions are imperative to ensure the water needs of people and the environment can be satisfied in the long run. (See figure 1.1.) 1.1 Challenges and Opportunities in Transboundary River Basins Climate change poses complex challenges for trans- boundary river basins due to the water impacts and response measures that can have consequences across national borders. At the same time, the transbound- ary river basin context poses both challenges and opportunities when developing and implementing climate adaptation and resilience projects. The sig- nificance of climate change in the transboundary context extends beyond direct and immediate impacts on communities, ecosystems, infrastruc- ture, and local economies to a broader and more complex landscape. In the transboundary context, climate change affects multiple countries, stakehold- ers, economies, and political systems. Measures to