This will be the central message of a day of campaigning by senior UN officials, NGOs and governments held to coincide with the ongoing UNFCCC talks in Barcelona this week.
The latest version of the negotiating text on water adaptation, which will form part of the COP15 agenda, has removed specific reference to water management as part of a climate change adaptation strategy.
Many leading voices believe that while greenhouse gases are bound to be the key consideration, water should not be sidelined in the debate and are now lobbying to have the issue reinistated on the texts.
Speakers at the Water Day in Barcelona on Tuesday, November 3 include Pasquale Steduto, chairman of UN-Water, Xianfu Lu, programme officer, Adaptation, Technology and Science Programme, UNFCCC and Danish Ambassador Niels Pultz.
Sam Bond