28 August 2015: At the close of World Water Week in Stockholm, Sweden, world leaders called on climate negotiators to ensure that water issues are paid due attention in the global climate agreement to be concluded in December 2015 in Paris, France.

Torgny Holmgren, Executive Director, Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI), said that “climate change is water change,” urging negotiators to ensure that water is thoroughly integrated in the climate agreement. At a press briefing on ‘Water, Development and Climate Change: A New Agenda,’ presented by the World Bank, SIWI and the World Water Council, Holmgren also noted that a total of ten of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) relate to water.

Åsa Romson, Deputy Prime Minister of Sweden, as well as its Minister for Climate and Environment, called for ensuring that climate investments, including those made through the Green Climate Fund (GCF), can support water resilience.

Benedito Braga, Secretary of State for Sanitation and Water Resources for the state of São Paulo in Brazil, said that water security stakes are higher than ever, and Christopher Loeak, President of the Marshall Islands, called for a historic pledge that will save the world, highlighting that his country may be “wiped off the map” by climate impacts.

Junaid Kamal Ahmad, Senior Director for Water, World Bank, highlighted the opportunities of the September 2015 Sustainable Development Summit in New York and the Paris Climate Change Conference, stating that adaptation to climate change is largely about water. He emphasized that, while the world attempts to put a price on carbon, it is time to introduce water pricing as the most powerful mechanism for fulfilling the promise of universal access to water.

In a press release, SIWI noted that the impacts of climate change are felt in altered rainfall and flood patterns, drought and other extreme weather events, highlighting that many mitigation solutions will depend on reliable access to water resources. [SIWI Press Release] [World Water Week Press Briefings]