From the executive summary of the World Bank Study, High and Dry. Climate Change, Water and the Economy:
„The impacts of climate change will be channeled primarily through the water cycle, with consequences that could be large and uneven across the globe. […]
Changes in water availability and variability can induce migration and ignite civil conflict. Food price spikes caused by droughts can inflame latent conflicts and drive migration. Where economic growth is impacted by rain-fall, episodes of droughts and floods have generated waves of migration and statistical spikes in violence within countries.
In a globalized and connected world, such problems are impossible to quarantine. And where large inequities prevail, people move from zones of poverty to regions of prosperity which can lead to increased social tensions.
This is why water management will be crucial in determining whether the world achieves the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and aspirations for reducing poverty and enhancing shared prosperity. Water is the common currency which links nearly every SDG, and it will be a critical determinant of success.“
World Bank. 2016. “High and Dry: Climate Change, Water, and the Economy.” Executive Summary. World Bank, Washington, DC.