Climate Change, Conflict and Cooperation: Global Analysis of the Resilience of International River Treaties to Increased Water Variability

This policy document identifies allocation provisions and institutional mechanisms that can mitigate potential conflicts between basin States in the face of increasing water variability caused by climate change. It outlines the linkages among climate change, water variability and security; identifies elements in treaty design that could reduce conflict; and assesses the resilience of treaties ratified between 1948 and 2001, examining the effect of institutional and allocation mechanisms under conditions of variability on cooperation and conflict over time.