Water Scarcity

By Marcus D. King

Dr. Marcus D. King is Director of the Elliott School's Master of Arts in International Affairs Program at George Washington University. King was formerly Research Director of the Sustainable Energy Institute and Senior Manager for Energy and Security Programs at a private consultancy. During the Administration of President Bill Clinton, he held Presidential appointments in the Office of the Secretary of Defense, where he represented the United States for negotiation of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Office of the Secretary of Energy and participated in negotiations on the peaceful uses of nuclear energy with Russia.

One of the critical adverse effects of climate change is the impact it will have on water in terms of both quantity and quality. Marcus King, a former negotiator for the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, told The Cipher Brief, competition for water resources is likely to lead to conflict.

The Cipher Brief: Some of our readers may not be familiar with the problem of water scarcity. Can you tell us what water scarcity is and how have the problems created by water scarcity changed over time? 

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