Water Adaptation

Water adaptation refers to the set of strategies, infrastructures, and policies designed to reduce the vulnerability of human and natural systems to variability and changes in water resources. It focuses on adjusting supply and demand to ensure water security under increasingly extreme climate scenarios.

Categories of Measures

• Supply: renewable-powered desalination → +300 hm³/year in eastern Spain.
• Demand: precision agriculture → −30% in water withdrawals.
• Nature-based: wetland restoration → +10% aquifer recharge.
• Institutional: drought plans → anticipatory response reducing economic losses by 50%.

Adaptation Cycle

1. Risk assessment: analysis of water deficit and vulnerability.
2. Planning: projection using CMIP6 climate scenarios.
3. Implementation: combination of grey and green solutions.
4. Monitoring: tracking with AWARE and water stress indicators.
5. Review: adaptive adjustment every 5 years.

Success Indicators (2030 Targets)

• Deficit reduction: −25%
• Water-risk insurance coverage: 80% of vulnerable agricultural areas
• Environmental flows maintained: 100% of water bodies

Synergies with Water Neutrality and Water Security

Robust water adaptation facilitates the achievement of corporate water neutrality and improves the National Water Security Index.

Investing in water adaptation yields a 4:1 return and is essential to achieving SDG 6 in a world that is 1.5 °C warmer.