Conflicts involving water — as both a resource and a public service — often take on a scale not always perceived by society and are becoming more frequent worldwide. An updated version of the “Pacific Institute Water Conflict Chronology” is now available; this database records and details water-related conflicts over the last five thousand years, identifying an impressive number of about 1,300 water conflicts during that period. What is even more relevant is the significant increase in frequency in recent decades: there were 22 conflicts in 2000, rising to 127 in 2021.

The role of water in conflicts can be classified into three types: water as a resource acting as a trigger for conflicts over its possession and use; water as both a resource and a service used as a weapon of war; and water as a service, becoming yet another victim of violence through the destruction of its infrastructure.

Naturally, most water conflicts in the past two decades have occurred in regions with water scarcity, such as Africa, the Middle East, and South Asia. However, they are also happening in wealthy Western countries. Last year, right-wing extremists in America threatened to take control of water facilities in the Klamath River basin, a drought-affected area near the border between Oregon and California in the United States. These conflicts are likely to continue increasing as climate change intensifies droughts and extreme events. Water conflicts are more common in dry countries where climate change is reducing this resource, such as Syria and the Gulf countries, particularly in areas dependent on agriculture for local food supply.

It is true that not all disputes over water use lead to conflicts. In some cases, climate change forces countries sharing rivers and aquifers to cooperate, although downstream countries often view their upstream neighbors with some apprehension.

But there is no doubt that water diplomacy will play an increasingly important role in the world we live in.