Deluge and drought: Australia’s water security in a changing climate

Water is essential for life. It shapes where and how we live, determines the availability of food and other services that underpin human wellbeing and is crucial for healthy natural ecosystems. Yet in Australia and globally the water cycle has been significantly influenced by climate change, leading to more extreme droughts and floods.

The focus of this report is how climate change is influencing the water cycle globally as well as here in Australia. We describe the economic importance of the Australian water sector, the changes that are already occurring because of climate change, the health implications of these changes, the water-energy nexus, and the impacts of changes in the water cycle on urban water supplies, agricultural productivity and natural ecosystems. We also examine global ‘hot spots’ where changes in the water cycle are already occurring, where slower, long-term changes could lead to high risks, and discuss the possible disruption of global food trade from droughts in critical regions.