Brief: connecting the carbon and water cycles for systemic resilience

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...

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Autor principal: Adolfsson, E.
Formato: Brief
Lenguaje:Inglés
Publicado: 2025
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/177863
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author Adolfsson, E.
author_browse Adolfsson, E.
author_facet Adolfsson, E.
author_sort Adolfsson, E.
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description 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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spelling CGSpace1778632025-11-14T02:16:54Z Brief: connecting the carbon and water cycles for systemic resilience Adolfsson, E. resilience hydrological cycle carbon cycle biodiversity climate change mitigation 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. 2025-08-30 2025-11-13T08:35:16Z 2025-11-13T08:35:16Z Brief https://hdl.handle.net/10568/177863 en Open Access application/pdf Adolfsson, E. 2025. Brief: connecting the carbon and water cycles for systemic resilience. Colombo, Sri Lanka: International Water Management Institute (IWMI). 16p. doi: https://doi.org/10.5337/2025.239
spellingShingle resilience
hydrological cycle
carbon cycle
biodiversity
climate change mitigation
Adolfsson, E.
Brief: connecting the carbon and water cycles for systemic resilience
title Brief: connecting the carbon and water cycles for systemic resilience
title_full Brief: connecting the carbon and water cycles for systemic resilience
title_fullStr Brief: connecting the carbon and water cycles for systemic resilience
title_full_unstemmed Brief: connecting the carbon and water cycles for systemic resilience
title_short Brief: connecting the carbon and water cycles for systemic resilience
title_sort brief connecting the carbon and water cycles for systemic resilience
topic resilience
hydrological cycle
carbon cycle
biodiversity
climate change mitigation
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/177863
work_keys_str_mv AT adolfssone briefconnectingthecarbonandwatercyclesforsystemicresilience