Blue Nexus Insights

The dominant narrative about water security has changed remarkably little over the past three decades. Whether the discussion concerns prolonged droughts, declining reservoir levels or climate adaptation, the proposed solutions almost invariably involve expanding supply. Governments build dams, increase storage capacity, invest in desalination technologies and modernise treatment infrastructure. Climate change has reinforced this way of thinking by drawing attention to changing rainfall patterns, rising temperatures and more frequent extreme weather events. The underlying assumption is straightforward: water insecurity is primarily the consequence of hydrological stress, and the principal task of policymakers is therefore to secure additional water resources. That narrative captures only part of the problem. Recent international assessments suggest that many of the world's most pressing water challenges are no longer explained by physical scarcity alone. The Global Commission on t...