Many water and energy challenges have been identified in the previous chapters and their origin diagnosed. Addressing them in a changing climate will require innovative solutions on a global scale.

To avoid painful consequences in the future, tackling the energy and climate security challenge and eliminating the crisis in water and sanitation will likely require a break with business as usual. The time frame for action on all these fronts is clearly within the next few decades. New solutions will be needed in electricity production, transportation, and water management, at a minimum. Technology might come to the rescue, but increased efficiency and conservation must play a large role. And adaptation to climate changes will be unavoidable. Global, national, and regional leadership will be needed to achieve energy, water, and climate security and to invent new paradigms for global resource management. Education must figure prominently as a component of every proposed solution.

Addressing these challenges properly and quickly can be seen as a test of humanity that is rendered even more difficult by projected changes in climate.

Introduction

In the context of global warming, population increase, and economic growth, energy, water, and climate need to be considered as interconnected and synergistic factors. It is not a responsible approach to address energy security without simultaneously assessing the consequences of each energy choice on climate and water resources and without accounting for them in the development of energy plans.