New research presented at the 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27) finds that water is an essential factor in tackling the food and energy crises exacerbate by climate change, reports Stockholm University.

The report, titled “The essential drop to reach Net-Zero: Unpacking Freshwater's Role in Climate Change Mitigation,” was released on Nov. 9, 2022, at COP27 in Sharm El-Sheikh. Stockholm University says that it is the first-ever summary of current research on the role of water in climate mitigation.

The document highlights the need to better understand global water shortages in order to plan climate targets that work well in the future. If not planned carefully, the negative impacts of climate adaptation could threaten freshwater resources and increase the costs of future adaptation.

“Most of the measures needed to reach net-zero carbon targets can have a big impact on already dwindling freshwater resources around the world,” says Lan Wang Erlandsson an author of the report and postdoctoral researcher at the Stockholm Resilience Centre at Stockholm University. “With better planning, such risks can be reduced or avoided.”