It goes global---extinction. U.S. judicial management is key.

Climate changes are already affecting US water resources, and the consequences for communities, health, and the environment will worsen

The science is unambiguous, as shown in the long series of US National Climate Assessments, reports from the US National Academies of Science, and other national and international scientific reviews (US Global Change Research Program 2020). Rising temperatures affect both water supply and demand. Rapidly melting snow and ice mean floods in spring, droughts in summer, and new threats to hydropower production. Rising sea levels threaten coastal communities, groundwater, and wetlands.

Hurricanes, floods, and droughts – already the nation’s most destructive natural disasters – are getting worse. By failing to address climate change, we threaten our economy, security, health, and the environment.

So, what can we do about it? A few key recommendations include supporting the ongoing US National Climate Assessments, as required by law. These reports provide the best scientific assessment of the risks of climate change. The Biden administration could also require all federal agencies to integrate climate resilience and risk mitigation into water programs, including infrastructure investments, disaster planning, insurance programs, agricultural and industrial commitments, and military and national security assessments. Funding and scientific advice is needed for states, counties, cities, and tribal communities to establish key partnerships, develop climate change risk-reduction and resilience programs, and enhance protection from disasters.

It’s also long past time to revise and modernize the federal National Flood Insurance Program to increase protections from changing flood risks and discourage development or redevelopment in vulnerable areas. The new administration should also develop federal water- and energy-efficiency programs and greenhouse-gas emissions reductions strategies that reduce the energy cost of providing, treating, delivering, using, and cleaning water, and boosting soil carbon – and President-elect Biden, immediately upon his inauguration, should reaffirm US commitments to the Paris Agreement and the World Health Organization.

Which brings us to the next problem.

Water resource problems pose threats to US national and international security and will continue to be a source of intra- and inter-state conflict

In 2012, the US Intelligence Community released an assessment of national security threats associated with water resources (Intelligence Community Assessment 2012). Among their conclusions: “During the next 10 years, many countries important to the United States will experience water problems – shortages, poor water quality, or floods – that will risk instability and state failure, increase regional tensions, and distract them from working with the United States on important US policy objectives.” These conclusions have unfortunately been borne out with water-based conflicts affecting US global interests in countries around the world.

The 2014 US Quadrennial Defense Review also identified water resource issues as threat multipliers that pose significant challenges for the United States and the world at large (Quadrennial Defense Review 2014). The May 2017 statement of the Director of US National Intelligence to the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence noted: “[h]eightened tensions over shared water resources are likely in some regions” (Coats 2017). Beginning immediately, the National War College system, State Department, Department of Homeland Security, and other defense and intelligence agencies should conduct a series of integrated assessments to identify and analyze water-related threats to vital US interests, including the vulnerability of US water systems to terrorism and cyber-attacks.

As we improve our understanding of the nature of the threats, US foreign policy should place greater emphasis on reducing the risks of water-related conflicts around the world. A variety of approaches to reduce water-related tensions should be implemented, including international agreements and treaties, technology based solutions, conflict-resolution institutions, and innovative water management (Gleick, Iceland, and Trivedi 2020). These approaches hold great promise for reducing water-related conflicts but have not yet been adequately adopted.

Here in the United States, Federal agencies and Congress should assist local water agencies to identify security threats to water systems and put in place improved physical barriers, real-time chemical and biological monitoring and treatment, cyber-security strategies, and integrated responses.

And that takes us to our final problem.

The United States has no National Water Strategy, reducing the ability to understand water problems and define and implement solutions

More than 20 federal agencies have overlapping and conflicting responsibilities for water management. As a result, current US water programs are incomplete, haphazard, and inconsistent. Basic water data are not collected or analyzed. Fundamental science remains undone. Regulations are inconsistent and outdated. Financial investments are haphazard and insufficient. Our freshwater resources are used inefficiently and ineffectively. Continuing to neglect these water problems will impoverish and sicken this and future generations, destroy irreplaceable aquatic ecosystems, and threaten our economy and food supply.

There are several ways to address these problems. For starters, the president should immediately create a new National Water Commission for the 21st Century to evaluate and recommend specific federal actions to improve national water policy. We have had no national water commission since 1973. Such a commission would reorganize and streamline the diverse and uncoordinated federal water responsibilities and laws.

And such a commission should not be idle, but expected to produce recommendations within 12 months that include executive branch actions, congressional actions, and legal and judicial actions. The National Water Commission should address the entire range of national water challenges, be nonpartisan, and consist of scientists, legal and policy experts, and nongovernmental and community representatives who can speak to the on-the-ground realities facing American communities.

The need to address water problems in the United States is great, but so are the opportunities. The new administration must move forward rapidly to make progress on this vital challenge.