Realities and Impacts of Climate Change on Water Environment: A Review

Water is at the center of energy-water-food-climate nexus. Climate change affects, and is also affected by, water resources. Water security and food security are threatened by the recurrence of frequent storms, floods and drought events. Rising sea levels cause land loss, saltwater intrusion, and render surface water and groundwater unfit for use. On the other hand, water and wastewater treatment utilities contribute to emission of greenhouse gases (GHG) and induce climate change. Sustainability of the water environment can be ensured by minimizing dependence on energy derived from combustion of fossil fuels. The actions include production of bioenergy in-house by wastewater utilities, follow anammox process for nitrogen control, promote distributed treatment systems for future planning, upgrade treatment plants for water reuse, etc. Proper adaptation and mitigation steps to confront the realities are outlined in this paper.