| Sumario: | The global hydrological cycle is the «bloodstream» of the biosphere, providing the basis for all life, regulating the climate, enabling carbon cycling through the production of biomass, and carrying nutrients, chemicals and pollutants. Freshwater, often overlooked, is the silent currency sustaining our economies — powering every sector from agriculture to energy — and underpinning our livelihoods.
Disruptions to the water cycle jeopardize this very foundation. Furthermore, those disruptions are deeply intertwined with climate change and biodiversity loss, with each rebounding on the other. The increasing imbalance of the hydrological cycle obstructs our ability to act on the climate and biodiversity crises. A resilient hydrological cycle, in turn, requires both climate change mitigation and the protection of biodiverse ecosystems and lands and their hydrological functioning.
Taking the hydrological cycle as a starting point, this policy brief unpacks the interconnectedness of the water and climate crises and the imperative of integrated blue-green water governance. Approaching a resilient hydrological cycle as a global common good means we must redefine the relationship between water and climate, recognizing green and blue water as indispensable elements to tackle climate change, and ensure that hydrological resilience is centred and elevated as a collective policy priority.
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