Water Security and Risk Assessment Under Climate Change: Developing Strategies for a Resilient Future

Global climate change is fundamentally altering hydrological systems, leading to an increased frequency and severity of extremes, including droughts and floods. These hydroclimatic extremes pose significant challenges to water security by affecting ecosystem stability, public health, agricultural productivity, energy systems, and regional development. The insecurity of water systems is further intensified by population growth, rapid urbanization, and industrial expansion, particularly in climate-sensitive and resource-scarce regions. The compound effects of climate change and anthropogenic activities lead to inadequacies in traditional water management approaches, which are usually limited in addressing the multi-dimensional and interconnected risks within water environment systems.
However, recent advances in environmental system analysis, such as grey water footprint accounting, virtual water trade analysis, and material metabolism modeling, could help understand how socioeconomic activities drive water environment vulnerabilities. Simultaneously, the development of high-resolution remote sensing, AI-based risk diagnostics, and intelligent monitoring platforms further enhances our capacity to detect and respond to emerging threats. To ensure adaptive, risk-informed, and sustainable water systems in a changing climate, there is an urgent need to adopt integrated assessment frameworks that integrate environmental modeling, technological innovation, and socio-economic dynamics.

This Research Topic aims to enhance water security through the application of innovative climate change modeling, environmental system analysis, and artificial intelligence technologies. Each of these strategies offers unique insights and capabilities for understanding and managing water resources. It emphasizes the importance of a multidisciplinary approach that involves climatology, hydrology, remote sensing, artificial intelligence, environmental risk management, the food-energy-water nexus, and sustainable development planning. The collection welcomes contributions that develop innovative tools, frameworks, and policies to assess and manage water environment risks effectively. These contributions should address challenges across various scales, sectors, and regions, thereby supporting sustainable development and ensuring the resilience of the water-energy-food nexus in the face of climate change.

This Research Topic welcomes original research articles, reviews, policy analyses, and case studies addressing the nexus of climate change, water security, and risk assessment. Topics of interest include (but are not limited to):
• Regional climate modeling and statistical downscaling for water systems
• Integrated modeling of water resources under climate change scenarios
• Drought and flood prediction and attribution under changing hydroclimatic conditions
• Hydrological risk assessment and vulnerability mapping
• Intelligent risk assessment of water environments under compound stressors
• Adaptive management strategies for water environment risk control
• Machine learning and AI for hydroclimate prediction and risk quantification
• Multi-scale and high-efficiency monitoring of water systems
• Remote sensing diagnostics for real-time water security and pollution detection
• Global and regional virtual water trade under climate-driven risk and resilience frameworks
• Climate-sensitive regional water footprint projections and resource efficiency analysis
• Transboundary water governance and cooperative resilience mechanisms
• Water conservation and pollution control strategies under climatic uncertainty
• Integrated management of the water–energy–food nexus for sustainable development
• Policy frameworks and decision-support tools for building climate-resilient water systems