Climate change is reshaping freshwater availability, quality, and distribution, posing major challenges to water security. Increasing hydroclimatic variability, extreme events, glacier retreat, salinity intrusion, and shifting precipitation are disrupting water systems globally, with disproportionate impacts on vulnerable populations. Despite growing research, key gaps remain in understanding compound risks, cross-sectoral interactions, and adaptation effectiveness under uncertainty. This editorial synthesizes current evidence on climate impacts on water security, focusing on hydrological variability, infrastructure resilience, governance, and inequality. It highlights gaps in integrated assessment, data systems, and science–policy translation. Priority research areas include improved climate–water modeling, nature-based solutions, adaptive governance, and scalable innovations in storage and reuse. Aligned with Sustainable Development Goal 6 (SDG 6), this Special Collection calls for interdisciplinary contributions that advance both theory and practice toward climate-resilient water management.
Rodríguez-Narváez et al. (Mon,) studied this question.