Impacts of climate change include increasing water scarcity and flood risk, along with decline in water quality. This study explores which ecosystems will be most impacted and analyses how the effects of climate change act as causes of additional emissions, thereby reinforcing global warming in a positive feedback loop. The paper was prepared for the European Parliament by Ecologic jointly with the Institute for European Environmental Policies (IEEP) and the Finnish Environment Institute (SYKE).

In the study, Ecologic contributed an assessment of potential changes in the water regime and their associated impact on land and soil resources. Furthermore, it provided insight into the interaction between deforestation, climate change and water availability. The analysis encompasses the complex ecological interconnections as well as a description of socio-economic drivers and consequences.

The study also highlights existing policy and management approaches, identifies gaps in the regime and concludes with sector-specific policy recommendations. The project is part of a framework contract with the European Parliament.

The study [pdf, 1.1 MB, English] is available online and is a result of the project "Consultancy for the European Parliament's Environment Committee".