IAHS co-convenes sessions on Freshwater at the International Scientific Conference “Our common future under climate change”, 7-10 July 2015, Paris, France, the largest scientific event ahead of the UNFCCC COP21 negotiations to be held in December 2015.

Climate change and freshwater – 1: State of knowledge / 2: Shaping the future

Convening partners: IAHS-UNESCO-WMO-French research coordination Allenvi

The freshwater cycle, including groundwater, is embedded in the climatic system. The freshwater cycle is also a strong structural and functional driver linking processes, locations, scales, uses and hazards, and socio-institutional entities and dynamics. The freshwater cycle also provides a key interface between the atmosphere, the geosphere, the biosphere and the anthroposphere; and between the basic needs, especially for water, food, energy and health. Although the fundamental physics behind climate processes is rather straightforward, the impact of climate change on local water resources is difficult to quantify with limited uncertainty (IPCC 2014).

Two sessions will address these issues across the first days of the conference, with a conceptual progression from actual knowledge towards approaches to shape the future.

Contributions submissions by 2nd March at www.commonfuture-paris2015.org