Scientists have repeatedly said water resources are sensitive to climate variations and with these “variations” on the rise, worries abound as to how best to combat these problems. The changes in global climate that are occurring as a result of the accumulation of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere will affect water cycle, availability and will alter the frequencies of floods and droughts, experts have said. At a conference held earlier this month in the Tunisian capital by Tunis Planetarium and the management company Borj Cedria, the relationship between the water cycle and the climate change phenomenon was the focal point. Under the theme “Climate Change and Water Cycle Variation, Assessment Mechanism and Adaptation,†Toshio Koike, a professor at the Tokyo University, Japan, highlighted that climate changes, either long or short-term changes, can significantly alter the hydrological behavior. The conference is part of Tunisia's push toward educating the globe and the region on the adverse affects that climate change can have on different sectors of society. Koike also said that there is a cause and effect relationship that requires from the international community to identify new scientific, economic and political approaches to adjust to climate change and reduce its impact on the water cycle. As the Earth’s hydrologic cycle has an impact on the human activity and on the economic prosperity, especially through precipitation, Koike advised that country's need to raise people’s awareness and change the man-environment relationship. Mr. Koike, is an active of member of the Global Earth Observation System (GEOS) and of the intergovernmental think tank on climate evolution (GIEC). BM
