The Orange-Senqu Basin in Southern Africa is among the most developed basins on the African continent. Already affected by severe climate variabilities, future climate change  could worsen existing challenges. Despite a high-level of institutional cooperation between all basin countries, existing water-related disagreements could be aggravated by the impacts of climate change.

The NATO Parliamentary Assemblies’ Science and Technology Committee drafted a new report on Food and Water Security in the Middle East and North Africa. The report underlines that pressures on natural resources and connected impacts on food production are factors that contribute to the (in-) security of the MENA region. The document summarizes causes as well as possible technical and governance approaches to improve food and water security in the region. The initiative shows that the role of environmental resources is increasingly taken seriously in the sphere of security policy. The Science and Technology Committee will discuss the draft and recommendations to NATO countries at the Spring Session in Tbilisi from 27-29 May.

In an article recently published in Regional Environmental Change, Uche Okpara, Lindsay Stringer, and Andrews Dougill discuss the development and application of a climate-water conflict vulnerability index to assess communities along the southeastern shores of Lake Chad in the Republic of Congo.

Climate change poses numerous challenges for international river basins that are likely to intensify in the decades to come. These challenges will have significant socio-economic and political repercussions. Ensuring sustainable development and political stability in these basins, therefore requires effective adaptation to the impacts of climate change. To overcome existing shortcomings and strengthen adaptive capacities, the water (cooperation) and climate communities should engage proactively and seek to create synergies between their instruments. Foreign policymakers should support them in this process.