Centre for Science and Policy, University of Cambridge
Abstract
Water resources are under stress in many regions due to increasing demands and, in places, falling quality.
Climate change has the potential to change the risks of water stress.1
The focus in this section is on strategic
definitions of water stress, which are based on generalized indicators of the amount of water that is available
and the demands on that resource. Operational definitions, on the other hand, are typically based on the
reliability of the supply of appropriate quality water and are strongly determined by local conditions
