Climate Change Is Water Change — Water Experts React to Barcelona Negotiations

Water advocates and experts are convening in Barcelona to lobby climate negotiators to recognize intersections of water and climate, and for the inclusion of key water language in the working documents that will form the backbone for high-level meetings in Copenhagen in December.
So far, they feel, their efforts have fallen on deaf ears.

The Global Public Policy Network, a group that includes the United Nations' own water group and other water-related organizations, hosted a "water day" on Monday to coincide with the final build-up conference before the United Nations Copenhagen Climate Conference next month.
Water experts say they are are deeply dismayed that all references to water have been stricken from the Non Paper 31-the draft text for Copenhagen. The organizations hope they can convince negotiators to re-instate mention of climate change impacts on water.
The amount of people concerned about freshwater shortages has increased five percentage points since 2003, when the opinion polling was first done.

Observers of the talks in Barcelona said climate pact negotiators told them the text of the agreement needed to be shortened before Copenhagen. Water was not considered a significant enough issue to keep in, according to Benso