Water stress and drought are as old as civilization, and while human beings have devised many ways to guard against these threats, economies have evolved in ways that make us more vulnerable.
Commentaries
WRI Commentaries offer long-form views and insights by senior WRI staff on important issues at the nexus of environment, development and human well-being. Commentaries draw on WRI research and other peer-reviewed publications to argue for a specific point of view, supporting it with evidence, to encourage informed discussion and debate. The views are those of the authors.
2015 was a watershed year. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted at a special summit of the UN General Assembly, and the new international climate agreement concluded in Paris in December, provide for the first time in history a set of strong frameworks for accelerated action by all to meet shared and ambitious climate protection and sustainable development goals.